


Under Fire

by EvilMaknae187



Category: iKON (Korea Band)
Genre: Alpha!Hanbin, Alpha!Jinhwan, Alpha/Omega, Dog Fighting, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Sort Of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-03-24 07:12:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 27,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13806129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvilMaknae187/pseuds/EvilMaknae187
Summary: If Hanbin had known that the little Alpha he brought into his home would've changed his life so drastically, he probably wouldn't have done anything differently





	1. Clarity

_Chapter One: Clarity_       

 

 

 

 

Hanbin pushed the door open, wrinkling his nose as the smell of sweat and blood overwhelmed him, and he had to take a moment to adjust to it before he could continue. The hallway was dimly lit and the other clientele lounged against the walls, eyeing Hanbin from head to toe, clearly sizing him up. Twisting his head to the side to pop the vertebrae in his neck, Hanbin ignored them and walked further into the walls of the Hub, the city's most renowned fighting arena. Mounting the steps to the bidder-seats, he waited in line, preparing his identification and Alpha-verification card. 

 

"Next!" The beefy guard called, shoving Hanbin through the door. Stepping up to the teller at the gate, Hanbin handed the man his cards, shoving his hands into his pockets to hide his fidgeting. 

 

"You're twenty-two, Alpha, have your own place and a _very_ impressive income. Why do you want a Sub-Alpha?" The teller asked, not looking up. Hanbin's eyebrows furrowed.

 

"Do you want a Sub-Alpha for business, sport or training purposes?" The teller asked, keeping the stylus lowered to the touchpad of the computer. 

 

"Uh-uhm... I want one for sport. I want a fighting Alpha, and I want to win big with him," Hanbin said, his voice cold as the steel steps under his feet. 

 

Nodding appreciatively, the teller handed him his cards back and slipped him a number.

 

"You wanna win big, go with number one-eighteen. He never loses, but his price is low because he's crazy, and nobody wants a crazy fighter on their hands," the teller whispered, jerking his head to admit the Alpha. Hanbin nodded his thanks, walking into the bidder-section with somewhat tenuous confidence. 

 

The lights in the arena went out moments later, and Hanbin found himself looking down some twenty feet into the belly of the ring. The spectator seats were a level higher than the bidder seats, and there were steel bars behind the chain-link that protected the audience from the fights that would soon be underway below. A door grated open and a fighting Alpha was released. Hanbin looked down into his hand, comparing the picture that the teller had slipped him with the face of the fighter that paced below. No match. 

 

Another fighter was released into the arena, and the fight began immediately. Within a few seconds, the new fighter overpowered the first, and was tearing into his skin, causing long, angry, deep gashes that bled profusely. A group of handlers swarmed the fight, whipping the newcomer off of the other fighter, cuffing him and connecting a chain to the heavy collar around his neck. Hanbin checked the picture again, impressed with the speed with which the fighter had beaten the other. No match. 

 

 

The system of Alpha-Beta-Omega had been disturbed during a time when the government was experimenting on Alphas to build a stronger, more imposing military. Somehow, something had gone wrong with some of the hormones that they were pumping into the volunteers' bodies, and the Alphas lost intelligence, gained speed, strength and became savage. 

 

Unable to use this new gender as a military weapon, the government sold the entire stock to handlers that were specifically trained to direct the Sub-Alphas to a new sport: SA Fights, which were referred to as SFs by the general populace. Citizens bet on the outcomes of fights, and Alphas were able to purchase their own Subs and fight them in the specially designed arenas. SFs were what led Hanbin to find himself sitting in the bidder seats, becoming ready to purchase his first fighter. 

 

 

Several fights passed, and Hanbin kept glancing at the faces and the photograph, but there were no matches. The very last fight, a very large SA, lumbering, snarling and clearly a champion was released into the ring. A thrill going through his stomach, Hanbin leaned forward, thinking that this must be him. This must be my fighter. However, with another glance at the photograph, he found that that wasn't the case. Another door opened in the back of the arena, and the sound of a high-pitched snarling reached the ears of everyone in the audience and they all fell silent. A tiny, dark blur shot from the mouth of the door, and launched itself at the other SA. Although the huge Sub struggled, growling and tearing back at the smaller Sub, the latter was devastating, ripping, tearing and biting deep gashes in the other's skin. Within a minute, the larger SA was down, the shrieks of pain chilling and horrific. The handlers swarmed the surprisingly small SA, whipping him off and chaining him tightly. Before he could be dragged away, the fighter looked up and his eyes passed through the audience, meeting Hanbin's for the briefest of half-seconds before a bag was dragged over his head and he was hauled away. Checking the photograph in his hand, he felt his heart sink. 

 

 

_Match._

 

 

"The kennels are now ready for viewing. Bidding starts now. Go get your fighter!" The teller's voice came over the intercom. Hanbin waited until the other bidders left the stands before following them slowly. 

 

"Did you see him?" The teller grabbed Hanbin's arm and kept him from continuing. The Dominant nodded. 

 

"Are you getting him?" 

 

Hanbin shook his head to this question, his face scrunching up as he thought.  

 

"I don't think so. He looked crazy-a little too crazy for me," he replied, jerking his arm free.  

 

" _Please_."

 

The tone of the teller's voice halted Hanbin in his tracks. It was low, desperate and panicked; it was different from his cocky, self-assured voice of before. 

 

"I need him to get out of here. He can't stay here any longer; it's killing him and I can't watch him die in here. He could do so much more."

 

Hanbin was taken aback.

 

"Why do you care so much?" He asked, leaning back against the wall. The next moment, he was standing rigid and stiff, his neck tight and his eyes wide. 

 

"He's one of my pups." 

 

 

Hanbin headed down to the kennels, rubbing just under his left pectoral muscle as he did when he was nervous.

 

_He's one of my pups. His mother committed suicide once she found out that he was a fighter, but he was never vicious-not unless someone hurt him first. He got along well with his litter, but he always would play too roughly and get serious when he was teased by the others. He's not vicious if treated correctly, and he's smarter than most Subs. Please. Just get him out of there..._

 

The teller's words rang through his head, whirling around and around until he found himself standing in front of a kennel that contained a tiny, straining, enraged, dark-haired Fighter with a mole on his right cheekbone and the number 118 tattooed on the thin skin of his neck under the twisting brown thorn-vine that was inked into the skin of every fighter that was registered with the government. 

 

"Sir?"

 

Hanbin's head snapped around, his eyes hollow. 

 

"I want this one. How much?"

 

Deep inside, he knew that his life was about to change forever. 

 

"Two hundred, if you can go in there and lead him out."

 

With a sense that he wasn't controlling his own body, he handed some bills over to the handler, signed his papers, gave his address, and stepped into the kennel. The fighter was chained to the wall in the back by a chain that was attached to the collar strapped about his throat, and Hanbin could hear his breathing, harsh and ragged, every inhale more painful than the last. The look in the fighter's eyes was wary, not angry _. He's not vicious if treated correctly_. Reaching his hand out, Hanbin went to touch the fighter, only to have small, sharp, white teeth sink into the soft skin of the base of his thumb. Snapping his hand back, he hissed, feeling the blood pulsing from the bite. _This is completely crazy_ , he thought, hearing the handlers go silent behind him. Reaching out again, he held up his hand in front of the fighter's face, waiting for the bite that never came. 

 

Instead, thin, soft, delicate fingers touched his hand, turning it over and over, stroking over the skin and pausing where the blood still throbbed out of the bite. A thin nose brushed his skin, inhaling the scent of the blood, and the fighter pulled back, his small, slanted eyes worried, and for the briefest of instances, Hanbin saw a flash of intelligence that faded as he reached his other hand around and unsnapped the chain, keeping a hold of the collar and walking toward the door. The handlers moved back, their faces slack with awe, and one opened the door to the container that they would ship him to Hanbin's house in.

 

Tightening his grip as he felt the fighter tense up, he stepped into the container, the fighter following him somewhat reluctantly. The darkness swallowed them up and the Sub went crazy, teeth snapping and finding a target in Hanbin's forearm. Shoving the fighter back, Hanbin staggered outside of the container and the handlers slammed the door. Tiny fists made a huge noise as the fighter slammed around the box, a whining snarl rising from his throat and filling the hallway. Other Subs in the other kennels started to panic, whining and yelling, crowding back against the backs of their kennels.

 

"He got you pretty good," a handler said, wiping at the blood on Hanbin's arm. The sound of the terrified, contained Sub faded as the container was wheeled down the hall and out to the truck that would deliver him to Hanbin's house. Hanbin shook his head and sighed. It was going to be several weeks until he got any decent sleep. 

 

 

Sitting on his couch, Hanbin watched as the fighter ran around his house, crashing into walls and tables, steering clear of where the Dominant sat. He'd had the Sub for nearly a week at this point, receiving papers and information about ownership of fighters, and apparently, he should not have let the fighter run loose around his house, and he had to put up with the insecurities that would occur three weeks after his last suppressant-pill and learn how to train the fighter to not attack, since it was apparently "difficult" to handle a fighter after they've been in the arena. (Hanbin had no doubts, remembering how his fighter had struggled to be free after he'd won against his opponent. _He's not vicious if treated correctly_.) Hanbin sighed. 

 

"You need a name," he mused out loud, the fighter pausing at the sound of his voice to snarl at him and then crouch in a corner where he could watch Hanbin with pretty, slanted eyes wide open. Groaning as he rose to his feet, Hanbin shuffled toward the kitchen. The fighter snarled again and leaped in front of him, his eyes brighter than before. Hanbin stood about seven inches taller, but he felt small as the fighter's eyes scanned over his entire body before reaching out to touch Hanbin's sleeve with a tiny hand. Releasing a breath that he didn't know that he was holding when the fighter stepped back, blinking softly and slowly, Hanbin stepped around him into the kitchen. The fighter followed him and stood behind the island in the middle, tiny, curious noises escaping from between his full, yet somehow delicate lips as Hanbin got a glass down from the cabinet. Filling the glass with water from the dispenser in the door of the freezer, Hanbin took a slow drink, eyelids flickering as the cool water washed over his dry, scratchy throat. 

 

When he lowered the cup, he startled, finding the Sub standing directly in front of him, holding up both small hands with a curious expression.

 

"You thirsty?" Since he'd gotten the fighter, he'd only seen him drink water from a bowl that he'd dunk his entire face into. Taking a plastic cup from the cabinet, not wanting to clean up the glass on the floor once the fighter inevitably dropped it; Hanbin filled it with about an inch of water, handing it to the fighter carefully. Holding the cup with both hands, the fighter watched Hanbin with blank, pretty eyes, just watching. Hanbin waited for him to take a drink, but after a minute, it became clear that he was content to just hold it and look at the Dominant, and so Hanbin took another drink. Immediately, the fighter did the same, bringing his cup to his mouth and letting the water spill out, some splashing down the front of his shirt (which Hanbin had tried (and failed miserably) to remove and wash) and some making its way into his mouth. The fighter looked very pleased with himself, and a tiny smile touched his lips. Hanbin hadn't even known that he could smile.

 

That smile, however, was the unraveling of his defenses, a glimpse into the true heart of the fighter, and Hanbin felt his heart melt and he sighed. 

 

"You're adorable," he told the fighter pointedly, and the fighter just continued to smile, the innocent, tiny smile lighting up his normally blank face. "But this doesn't change the fact that you still need a name." 

 

 

A few days later, Hanbin was preparing for bed, sliding under the covers and adjusting himself. Just as he reached up to switch the lamp off, he felt a weight fall onto the other side of the bed, and tiny hands pressed down onto his side. Hanbin held very still, not even wanting to breathe, but the fighter fell down beside him, using Hanbin's leg as a pillow and grabbing one of the Dominant's hands and pulling it across his body. Still afraid to move, Hanbin allowed the fighter to bite his hand and was surprised at how gently the fighter performed that act. The fighter didn't draw blood, and only closed his lips and teeth around the skin before he dropped his head back down to Hanbin's thigh. Hanbin blinked, somewhat confused. Slowly, he reached out his other hand and switched off the light. 

 

The next morning, Hanbin woke up to find that a mop of hair was tickling his nose and something was lying on his chest, making it more difficult to draw breath. Looking down, he could see only soft black hair and a thin arm tightened around his waist. Stretching involuntarily, he disturbed the fighter's sleep and the tiny Sub let out a small, disgruntled noise and pushed on Hanbin's chest until he was in a sitting position, straddling the Dominant's hips. He raised his fists to his eyes and yawned, a tiny squeak finishing off the yawn. Hanbin felt his stomach lurch.

 

"You're precious," he said, his voice thick with sleep. The fighter blinked slowly at him and tilted his head to the side. And that was when Hanbin decided on a name for the fighter.

 

"Jinhwan," he said, pointing at the fighter. Looking down at Hanbin's finger, he curled his hand so that he was mimicking Hanbin, pointing at the Dominant. 

 

"Hanbin," Hanbin said, pointing at himself as well. The fighter looked incredibly pleased and pointed back to himself.

 

"Jinhwan."

 

Pointed at Hanbin.

 

"Hanbin."

 

Back to himself.

 

"Jinhwan.

 

And back again to Hanbin.

 

"Hanbin."

 

Feeling as though the fighter, Jinhwan, would be perfectly content to go back and forth with names all day, Hanbin sat up so that they were nearly face-to-face. He surprised himself with how much he trusted this fighter, his fighter, enough to not worry about being savaged. He'd only owned him for two weeks.

 

"You need a bath."

 

 

Two hours, ten Band-Aids, several curses, six towels, three bite marks and a couple emptied tanks of hot water later, Jinhwan was sitting contentedly in the tub, his thin arms limp and his eyes closed as Hanbin rinsed shampoo out of his hair. Once he had figured out that Hanbin wasn't about to drown him, he'd been surprisingly compliant, allowing the Dominant to pick him up, strip off the grey clothes that he'd worn in the Hub and deposit him in the bathtub. Hanbin talked to the fighter the entire time, going on and on about nothing, and Jinhwan had responded with strangled noises as though he was trying to manipulate his tongue and throat and lips to speak. Hanbin finished soaping up and rinsing down the fighter's body, sometimes catching himself staring at how soft and smooth Jinhwan's skin was. 

 

Bending down so that he could lift the fighter out of the tub, he sighed. It was as though he was the parent of an overgrown, mute child. He toweled off Jinhwan's small body and dressed him in some of his old clothes. They hung off of Jinhwan quite a bit, being as the fighter was at least three inches shorter and fifteen pounds lighter. Hanbin shook his head fondly and started cleaning up all of the spilled water and soaps, Jinhwan sitting on the counter, his head cocked to the side as a bird would. 

 

 

A month later, it was time for Jinhwan's first scheduled fight, and he knew where he was as Hanbin pulled into the preparatory area for competitors and parked the car. He didn't fight Hanbin; rather, he clung to the Dominant, causing Hanbin to carry him so that he wouldn't trip.

 

"You expect to win with that shrimp?" A handler laughed, catching sight of Jinhwan and his apparent nervousness. Hanbin ignored him, dressing Jinhwan in the tight, black leather jacket and rough black pants of all of the fighters, taking a number and settling down in one of the kennels, preparing for the fight. Jinhwan was nearly cutting off Hanbin's air supply with how tightly he was clinging about the Dominant's neck.

 

Hanbin had pre-registered for the fight, so that he wouldn't have to keep Jinhwan standing in line while he filled out paperwork, and he was glad that he had. Jinhwan's tattoo of "118" had been removed with a laser a while ago, and it had taken a lot of convincing and cash to put the fighter in a fighting bracket that was higher up than the first-tier battles that he'd originally been placed into. His opponent was now a large, heavy fighter that was chained and held by seven handlers. Hanbin felt strange, not having Jinhwan secured to anything, and then, it was time for the fight. 

 

Jinhwan was the first into the arena, and the crowd booed and jeered at him, saying that he was pathetically puny and weak-looking. The bigger Sub was released, and he lumbered straight for Jinhwan, hands out and teeth bared, a snarl rising from his throat. Jinhwan was knocked to the side, and he held still for a moment before the other fighter reached for him again. 

 

Hanbin wasn't even sure what happened. One moment, Jinhwan was on the ground, expression puzzled and confused, and the next, the other fighter was dead on the floor and Jinhwan's hands and mouth were covered in blood.

 

"Go get your fighter," the director of the fight advised, opening the door to the arena to allow Hanbin in. Jinhwan turned and rushed the door, eyes dark and frightening.

 

"Seal the corridor! We've got a potentially loose SA on our hands!" The director called, pulling a stun gun from his hip holster. Hanbin braced himself as Jinhwan flung his body through the door. Expecting to be torn apart, Hanbin was surprised when Jinhwan pressed close and cried, tears pushing aside the blood streaked on his cheeks. Picking up Jinhwan, only to have the fighter wrap his arms and legs around his neck and waist. Propping his chin on Jinhwan's shoulder, feeling again as though he was in charge of a child, albeit a volatile, violent child, Hanbin started down the hall to the collector's office. Handlers stared, and more than a few asked how he got his fighter calmed down so quickly. He ignored them all and signed off for his money, taking the check and heading back to the car.

 

Jinhwan practically sat on Hanbin's lap on the way home, making sure that he could always touch some part of the Dominant. Hanbin wondered at this, washing the blood off of the fighter and preparing them for bed. (The fight was scheduled for late at night, and it took about an hour to just drive home.) Jinhwan usually was content to sleep with his head on Hanbin's leg and by the morning was sprawled over the Dominant's body, but for once, he twined his body around Hanbin's, his breathing pattern uneven and weak as though he was crying in his sleep. Looking down at the fighter's face, Hanbin saw that Jinhwan was very much awake, and his eyes were screwed shut and his little fists were tight in Hanbin's shirt. Hanbin sighed, and then his eyes widened. It was different than it was with Omegas, but it was unmistakable, nonetheless. 

 

 

            This scent.

 

 

Jinhwan was going into pre-Heat.

 

 

Exhaling shakily, Hanbin decided to sleep, although he wasn't sure how soundly the night would pass. Already, Jinhwan was squirming slightly, bending and straightening his knees, searching for something although he didn't know quite what. Hanbin knew, though. Hanbin knew, and Hanbin thought, not for the first time, that he was in too deep in something that was out of his control. Slowly, he fell asleep. 

 

 

A sharp pain flared and faded on Hanbin's thigh. Bolting upright, he scrambled from the bed, feeling the sticky wetness of blood in his pajama bottoms. Across the room from him, Jinhwan stood, completely naked, his clothes shredded on the floor and his chest shining with sweat, the roots of his hair damp with the same. His narrow torso heaved as he tried to catch his breath, and it was a moment later that he was snarling, charging towards Hanbin with fingers outstretched and teeth bared. 

 

It was at that moment that Hanbin caught the scent of Jinhwan's Heat, and when Jinhwan slammed into him, he held the Sub close, so close that Jinhwan could not free himself, although he squirmed. 

 

"Ssssh," Hanbin whispered into the Sub's hair, and Jinhwan whimpered, his body out of his control for the first time ever and him not knowing why.

 

For Jinhwan, he saw the world in bright, vibrant colors and smells. He knew fights, knew pain, knew hunger and thirst, and knew the coldness of a kennel and the steady drip, drip, drip of leaking pipes. He also knew warmth and the comfort of his Dominant's couch and bed. As much as he hated the harshness of his handler's voice while he was living in the Hub, he loved the comforting solidness of his new Master's body when he curled up to it at night. He knew the comforting drip, drip, drip of the faucet when his Master would leave the water on ever so slightly during when he was bathing Jinhwan. He knew Hanbin's name, knew his scent and his face, and everyday, he tried, tried so hard to communicate and reciprocate the blatant love that Hanbin held for him, but his hands were incapable of kindness, and his mouth was unable to do anymore than snarl and growl and sometimes offer an inquisitive whine or a small smile. He could barely hold a cup, and he'd only ever laughed one time, and that had surprised him straight into a snarl. So, when the warmth took over his body, the fire that burned without burning, when he wanted something, wanted something that he had no idea what it was, his only assumption could be that for some reason, his Master was causing it. However, when Hanbin's arms closed around him, he fought, fought to be closer, closer, closer although he didn't know why.

 

Hanbin's voice was soft in his ear as he talked to Jinhwan, murmuring sweet words although Jinhwan couldn't understand a little less than half of what was being said. Relaxing as much as he could, Jinhwan allowed Hanbin to pick him up and carry him back to the bed.

 

Hanbin sighed. Jinhwan's skin was soft and hot under his hands, and for the first time, he did not see Jinhwan as a fighter, but in his eyes, the Sub was also a person, a person with a heart and needs and emotions, and Hanbin couldn't treat him as though he was inferior and didn't matter. 

 

"Do you want me to help you?" He asked, the smell of Jinhwan's Heat clouding his judgment. Squirming around, hearing the word "help" and deciding that that was what he needed, Jinhwan groaned and clawed at Hanbin's back. The Dominant was gladder than ever that he slept in only his sweat pants, and he dropped his head to his Sub's neck. 

 

Jinhwan panicked, but then gasped as Hanbin nudged his knees apart and settled his weight down. He'd felt pleasure before, when Hanbin would bathe him, slowly running shampoo through his hair or smoothing a soft washrag covered in soap across his limbs, but he'd never felt anything quite like this. This was intense, this was consuming his thoughts and this was what he wanted. 

 

Hanbin was easy, he was kind and he was considerate. He knew that Jinhwan was inexperienced, wholly unaware of any kind of sexual contact, which was evident in the way that he pressed his hips upwards into Hanbin's. The Sub tossed his head from side to side, becoming overwhelmed with how Hanbin's lips closed over the skin just at the base of his throat.

 

 _I shouldn't be doing this_ , Hanbin thought, feeling his body reacting to the slickness of Jinhwan's sweat-soaked skin, feeling the way that the smell of Jinhwan's Heat, so different from the smell of the Omega Heats that he'd been exposed to, but alluring and captivating nonetheless, caused his mind to become cloudy and his thoughts to become jumbled and unclear. The Sub was built as a man was built, muscles and softness in a perfect ratio across his body, and there was no doubt that he was definitely a fully developed and mature male, which was obvious when he pushed up yet again into Hanbin and Hanbin could feel him, could feel that he was experiencing what was probably his first ever heady rush of pleasure and could practically feel the fear and slight anger that Jinhwan radiated.

 

As for Jinhwan, his thoughts were not organized. They were jumbled, disoriented sensations that would sometimes flash into startling clarity that he craved to regain. Those moments when he was fully aware were the ones he sought after, and on the edge of his consciousness, he could feel another such revelation looming. This time, it was to be something that could change him and rock his very being to the core.

 

He wanted Hanbin. Hanbin, and Hanbin alone could help him with this, Hanbin alone he trusted and Hanbin alone was the one who he completely and unconditionally submitted to, giving himself up and allowing himself to be overpowered for the first time in his life. Hanbin's hands were gentle, although he seemed to be holding back as he brushed gently over Jinhwan's skin. When Hanbin's sweats came sliding off and he finally, finally? pressed into Jinhwan, the Sub felt his moment of clarity grow and grow until he felt as though there was nothing he could do but absorb the moment, the pleasure and Hanbin. 

 


	2. Open His Eyes

Chapter Two : Open His Eyes

 

 

Jinhwan woke early the next morning, bouncing out of bed and stretching his limbs like an overgrown starfish. He felt better than he had ever before, his energy levels higher than ever and he felt safe, safe for the first time in his life. Hanbin groaned and rolled over to where Jinhwan had been laying, expecting to come in contact with the Sub, but his arms met just the warm blankets that Jinhwan had just left, and he exploded out of bed, eyes frantic. Squinting against the light, he called out for the Sub, clearly unable to see him.

"Jinhwan?? Where are you?" He called, rubbing at his eyes. Blinking as his eyes adjusted, he saw Jinhwan standing across the room, his eyes sharper and more clear than ever. Hanbin sighed in relief and stumbled over to the Sub, ignoring the fact that they were both still naked and the evidence from yesterday still showed in dried streaks across the Sub's chest. When Jinhwan's arms came up to return the hug, Hanbin was shocked; Jinhwan usually just stood and allowed Hanbin to embrace him. Pulling away after several minutes, Hanbin felt his hips creak with soreness from the previous day. Pretty though he may be, Jinhwan was intense and relentless in bed.

"Want a bath?" Hanbin asked, gathering clothes for the both of them. Jinhwan's face softened, and he tilted his head to the side, ever the curious fighter. The fighter led the way to the bathroom, waiting for Hanbin to start the water. Instead of stopping the drain, Hanbin pulled the curtain across and turned on the water, waiting until it was warm enough to redden the skin without stinging. The Dominant stepped into the tub first, sighing as the water washed over his skin, releasing tension in his body. After a minute, he stuck his hand out and beckoned to Jinhwan who was wondering just where the Dominant had disappeared to. Jinhwan snarled and leaped backwards, the disembodied hand frightening him. Hanbin pushed back the shower curtain, and Jinhwan relaxed.

"Come on," Hanbin said, and Jinhwan went to him, more trusting and compliant than ever before. The water was coming from above him, but it was not rain; he was inside Hanbin's kennel. It was one of the reasons that he loved living with Hanbin, being able to go inside of the Dominant's living area and escaping from the rain together, panting and flushed from their dash from the car. Hanbin laughed, finding Jinhwan's confusion with the water to be highly amusing, and the Sub offered a small smile, the most he could manage, and pressed his body close. Hanbin choked a bit. Jinhwan had no concept of nudity, but Hanbin did, and he remembered just how smooth the inside of Jinhwan's thighs had been on his waist, he remembered how Jinhwan had trembled when Hanbin touched him for the first time(he trembled and let out tiny snarls, but he did not pull away), and he remembered the throaty, awestruck whines of pleasure when he had brought Jinhwan to the brink and over for the first time ever in the Sub's life. Turning to the handle, he turned the water as cold as it could go, cooling his rapidly-heating skin, groaning defeatedly. After a short moment, he felt tiny hands slide around his waist and a tiny head with a full cheek settled on his back, but Hanbin did not respond, bracing his hands against the wall of the shower and letting the now-bitterly cold water crash over him. His chest and arms and shoulders were all cold, but against his back, heat burned, slowly, slowly, slowly driving him mad until his thoughts were as full of Jinhwan as he suspected Jinhwan's were of him.

 

Hanbin stood in front of Jinhwan, blocking the fighter's entrance to the arena. His fighter knew what was about to occur, and was working himself into a frenzy at the sound of the other fighter as he was released into the arena. Glancing over his shoulder, Hanbin saw that the other fighter was ready to fight, and he stepped out of the way of his fighter, hearing the high-pitched screaming snarl rip from Jinhwan's throat as the fighter launched through the door. Typically, through all of the fights that he'd seen Jinhwan in, about four at that point, every opponent had been cowed at the sound of Jinhwan's scream, a wild, savage, primal sound that brought a cold sweat to even Hanbin's forehead. The opponent that he was facing today, however, did not seem to register that Jinhwan was charging him, and it was not until Jinhwan slammed into him that the other fighter came alive, turning onto the small fighter with a ferocity that outmatched even Jinhwan's own.

It was the first time that Hanbin had ever seen Jinhwan lose.

Jinhwan was pinned to the ground and his skin was split apart by the other fighter's teeth and hands. He struggled and his movements became even more desperate until the owner of the other fighter entered the arena and hauled his fighter away. Hanbin noted dully that the other fighter was not secured by his handler as he went to collect Jinhwan. His fighter was in bad shape, whimpering quietly when he could see Hanbin. Bracing his hands against the ground, he tried to stand, but his shoulder was dislocated among other things and he couldn't climb to his feet. Numbly, Hanbin stood aside when the medical team came to retrieve Jinhwan and he followed them as they carried his fighter away.

Sitting outside of the medical ward, Hanbin sighed for the nth time, resting his elbows on his knees. A man strode up quietly, and sat beside him. Glancing over, Hanbin saw that it was the handler of the fighter from before, and he turned away. He didn't want to speak to him.

"How is he?" The other handler asked, his voice too loud in the quietness off the hallway. Hanbin waited a moment before replying.

"He's messed up pretty bad. They sedated him, though and he's doing...better," he offered, and the stranger didn't ask for anything more about Jinhwan.

"I'm Mino," the other handler said, sticking out his hand.

"Hanbin." Hanbin shook his hand.

They sat in silence for a while longer, and then Mino shifted to speak again.

"Your fighter-he has a specific attack cry, doesn't he? Always works to shake your opponent's confidence?"

Hanbin faced him, eyes somehow managing to be curious and carefully guarded at the same time.

"What about it?" He had in fact been wondering why Jinhwan's scream hadn't seemed to affect the other fighter, but he'd chalked it up to the other being a veteran fighter who was immune to all of the tricks of the younger fighters.

"My fighter is almost entirely deaf. He's only got ten percent of his hearing in one ear, and he's entirely deaf in the other. His whole life, he's had to fight to just stay alive. He doesn't lose," Mino explained. "He can't." And Hanbin understood fully.

A shout rang out from inside the medical ward and doctor ducked out, sporting a bleeding arm and an infuriated expression.

"He's crazy! Use more sedative! I'll be back in a second!" He took off down the hall. Hanbin rose to his feet, wringing his hands nervously. Jinhwan was in there, injured and afraid and Hanbin could not go to him to comfort him and it was tearing him apart. A thin, high pitched scream met his and Mino's ears, causing Hanbin to whirl around and stand by the door, peering in the tiny window. He saw his fighter on the examination table, one knee crooked to keep his leg out of the way as technichians held down the other, attempting to stitch the skin back together. Jinhwan's arms and chest were strapped down, and the expression on his face was desparate as he screwed his eyes shut and screamed again. The doctor came pelting back down the hallway, Hanbin stepping aside to let him in. Assuming control of the stitching, the doctor blotted away a fair sized stream of blood and threw the rag onto the floor. It was then that Hanbin noticed the pile of reddened rags and he turned away from the window, his head feeling faint. Mino stood and guided him back to his chair, keeping a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"So, your fighter is deaf?" Hanbin asked, trying to distract himself from the sight that lingered still behind his eyelids. Mino nodded slowly, but did not say anything further.

"How old is he, and when'd you get him?" Hanbin tried again.

Mino was silent a moment.

"He's a '94 baby, so he's about a year younger than me. My parents were Sub-breeders, and I've been around him my entire life. When I was little, I couldn't understand why he wouldn't talk back to me, and why he had a shock collar around his neck. He was born with perfect hearing, but he got sick when I was about five and since then, his hearing hasn't been the same. I have a question-when your fighter goes into Heat, what do you do?" Mino asked, switching topics without hitch, his deep voice slightly ominous in the damp, sparsely lit hall.

Wondering if it was a trick question because it was sometimes looked down upon to Mate with a fighter and ease their Heat, Hanbin stared at him a second.

"If you Mate him at his Heat, it's cool. It's what I do with mine, his name's Taehyun, by the way, because it's more natural and it's easier on their bodies. It creates a bond between you and your fighter and makes them more responsive and loyal. That's what you do, isn't it? You Mate him?"

Hanbin nodded mutely.

"I could tell. You're very in tune with each other, and I remember when we were in fights a while ago, we watched him. He was crazy and uncontrollable, but you carried him right on in here and let him wander around you. He never went too far away from you and never tried to attack anyone until he was in the arena. When you went to go get him, his expression was apologetic and afraid, like he knew that he'd let you down or something. He loves you, you know, and you should respect that and love him back, and you'll both be fine." Mino patted Hanbin's shoulder and walked away.

 

Jinhwan came awake with a sputtering cough and Hanbin sat up in his chair sharply. The fighter had been sleeping on the bed with Hanbin staying in the window seat to keep an eye on him through the night. It took a moment for Jinhwan to locate Hanbin, but the second that he did, he was up, starting over to Hanbin before the damage from the day before drew him up short and he was falling backwards gasping. Hanbin went to him, settling beside his fighter and holding him in close very gently so as not to disturb the stitches that dotted Jinhwan's skin. When the Sub pressed in close as well, love him back, flashed through Hanbin's mind and he dropped his head to the fighter's hair and simply held him close for several minutes. After a while, Jinhwan moved, his tiny finger pointing at Hanbin. Immediately, Hanbin knew what he wanted, and he complied without question.

"Hanbin."

Jinhwan hummed, the lilt of his voice matching the way that Hanbin had said his own name, and then he pointed at himself.

"Jinhwan." More humming, again mirroring the intonation, and for the next hour, they went back and forth, swapping names and hums and Hanbin, who was usually highly impatient, was content to sit and go along with Jinhwan's simple request.

 

The stitches came out two weeks later, and Jinhwan sat on Hanbin's lap the entire time, sulking and unflinching when the stitches were cut and pulled free.

"You're good with him," the doctor said, finishing up and wiping her hands down. She held her hand out to help him down from Hanbin's lap, but Jinhwan declined, hopping down on his own and refusing to look at the doctor.

"Uh, thanks," Hanbin returned, giving his fighter a warning look as Jinhwan edged towards the door, all too eager to leave. The doctor smiled at Hanbin, every inch the young, flirty woman that she was. Jinhwan decided that he did not like the look she was giving his Hanbin, his Hanbin, not hers, and so he crowded up to his Dominant, smothering his scent all over the Alpha's body. Absentmindedly, Hanbin returned the gesture, distracted by the woman in front of him. In the past, the look that she was giving him would have him asking for her phone number, which would ultimately lead to the two of them sharing a night together with Hanbin going home the next morning, weary but satisfied. For some reason, however, he wasn't feeling the inclination to stay the night with her, which disturbed him greatly. Shaking his head, he asked for her number anyway, and the look that she gave him when he left with Jinhwan was enough to kindle a tiny flame in his stomach.

"Can I leave you home alone?" He asked Jinhwan, the fighter sitting on the bed while Hanbin picked out clothes that would look nice but wouldn't be too difficult to remove. Jinhwan seemed to know what was going on, and his eyes were cast downwards, fingers flexing in the duvet below him. Finally deciding on something, Hanbin hung it up on his closet door and went to the bathroom to shower. About half an hour later, he came back to find his outfit shredded on the floor and Jinhwan was nowhere to be found. Sighing, Hanbin picked out another outfit, hanging it up on the door again and going back into the bathroom to finish primping. He heard tentative footsteps and then the unmistakable sound of ripping cloth and he charged back into the room to find his other outfit torn to pieces. Again, Jinhwan was nowhere to be found. Grumbling, Hanbin picked out yet another outfit, bringing it into the bathroom with him this time, but not closing the door. (Jinhwan would panic if he knew that Hanbin was inside without him.)

This time, Jinhwan flashed into the bathroom, snatching up the outfit and taking off, Hanbin peeling after him, a towel clutched to his hips. He caught up with the fighter in the living area, cornering him with a hand over the tiny fighter's head. Jinhwan seemed cowed for a mere second before he met Hanbin's eyes and defiantly tore the shirt in his hands into two pieces.

"You little!" Hanbin started, until he saw the look in Jinhwan's eyes. The fighter looked angry, but sad at the same time, and Hanbin felt his heart melt as those eyes stayed locked on his own. Steeling himself, he lifted his chin.

"That was bad," he scolded, stepping forward so that he was even closer to Jinhwan. The fighter lifted his hands and set about exploring the Dominant's chest, catching little droplets of water with an even smaller smile.

"Stop making it so hard to discipline you!" Hanbin sighed, stepping back in defeat. Jinhwan raised his arms, tilting his head to the side. Hanbin picked him up, the fighter wrapping thin legs and even thinner arms around his body to hold himself up.

Hanbin didn't go see the doctor that night, nor the next, or even the nights that followed in the next month. He loves you....Love him back, chased itself around in his head, and he surrendered a piece of his heart daily to the fighter's pretty, slanted eyes and curious hands. Jinhwan struggled to speak to him everyday, his throat releaasing only tight, strangled noises that bordered on almost painful.

 

He'd owned Jinhwan for several months at this point.

 

 

 

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Hey! This isn't a very long update, but it's at least not late

. So, I'm sorry if there are any mistakes, and I'll fix them when I get the chance. Please enjoy this update!!!!!!

 

As always, please comment, subscribe and upvote!!!!

 

~~Mak~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eeeey, thanks for reading this 
> 
> Comments are love!! 
> 
> ~~Mak~~


	3. When Things Begin To Change

_Chapter Three: When Things Begin to Change_

A/N: Short warning: SMUT AHEAD. 

 

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He'd owned Jinhwan for several months at this point.

 

"H-Hah-bee."

Hanbin spun around, the glass that he was holding crashing to the ground. Slowly, he looked up at the tiny fighter, his eyes widening. Jinhwan raised his hand, pointing at the Dominant Alpha with a pretty finger.

"H-Hah-bee," he repeated, looking rather pleased with himself. Hanbin's jaw dropped, and he walked over to the fighter slowly.

"H-Hah-bee."

  "Yeah, that's right. That's my name," Hanbin said. Taking Jinhwan's hand, he rubbed his thumb over the soft skin with a fond look. 

"What's your name?" He asked, peering carefully at the fighter's eyes, searching for the intelligence that he knew was there. Snatching his hand back, Jinhwan pointed at himself, beaming.

"Jee-wah!" 

In that moment, Hanbin was unbelievably proud, and he pulled the fighter into a hug, breathing him in until he felt as though he could have cried.

"H-Hah-bee," Jinhwan repeated again, placing his tiny hand on the Dominant's chest. "Jee-wah," he said again, taking Hanbin's hand and putting it on his own chest. In that moment, Hanbin could have sworn that he felt their hearts beating in sync, and his face reddened as he pulled his hand back.

Jinhwan can talk. The realization that the fighter, who was supposed to be mute, according to his genetic makeup, could talk, made him slightly uneasy. Just how much could he understand?

"H-Hah-bee?" Jinhwan's tiny voice was hesitant as he tried to look up into the Dominant's eyes. Hanbin shook his head, setting the tiny fighter's mind at ease. 

"It's fine," Hanbin assured, and he felt Jinhwan relax. Again, the thought of how much can he understand rose into his mind, and he sighed, picking Jinhwan up, setting him on the island in the middle of the kitchen and pulling away from the fighter to clean up the glass. Jinhwan sat on the counter, cocking his head to the side in his birdlike manner. His thin eyes followed every movement that the Dominant made, and whenever Hanbin would look up and make eye contact, Jinhwan would smile, causing Hanbin's stomach to flip. 

The doorbell rang, and Jinhwan scrambled off of the counter and dove for the door, the soft, gentle expression gone, replaced by a terrifying snarl that Hanbin recognized as the one that the fighter would put on right before he was put into an arena to fight. Hanbin's parents were visiting, and the last thing that the Dominant needed was for his fighter to attack them as they walked in the door. Skidding around the corner, Hanbin was just in time to catch Jinhwan about the waist as the door opened and Jinhwan lunged for the door. The expression on the fighter's face was not one that Hanbin recognized, but it seemed as though, judging by the way that Jinhwan kept glancing at him, keeping his teeth covered and the growl in his throat low and somehow whiny, the fighter was trying to protect him. 

  Hanbin's mother stepped into the house, her bag ahead of her, and Jinhwan flattened himself against the Dominant's body; his eyes were wider than ever before, and he was trying to pull free of Hanbin and hide behind him. 

"Hanbin? Who's this?" His mother asked, setting her bag down. Jinhwan was whimpering, whispering something over and over, his fingers tight on Hanbin's arm. Bending closer, Hanbin tried to catch the words.

"H-Hah-bee... H-Hah-bee..." Jinhwan was repeating his name over and over, and sounded close to tears. Hanbin stretched out, grabbing his mother's hand and bringing it closer to Jinhwan's face. Catching sight of the fighter's tattoo on the side of the fighter's neck, she shrieked, trying to snatch her hand back. Jinhwan panicked, squirming to get free, but at that moment, Hanbin's little sister toddled inside, reaching her hands out for someone to pick her up. Pulling free from Hanbin with a giant wrench, he dropped to his knees in front of the little girl, his eyes narrowed.

"It's going to kill her!" Hanbin's mother yelled, jumping for the fighter. Jinhwan's eyes widened at the word "kill," a word that Hanbin had used often when they were in the arenas and he looked close to tears, looking up at Hanbin with a stricken expression. 

     "No kill," Hanbin said sternly, a command that had been crucial to teach Jinhwan, though he wasn't exactly worried; Jinhwan's eyes weren't narrowed anymore, and his jaw wasn't tightened. Clinking a couple of times, the fighter looked down at the little girl, reaching out his hand for her own. 

"Hanbin, get that thing away from her. It's going to eat her!" His mother shrilled, trying to pull lose of her son to rescue her daughter. "You can't trust them! Why isn't it in a cage? Where's its shock-collar? Why do you even have it?" 

Hanbin watched as the aggressive sound of his mother's voice caused the little fighter to flinch, although he did not cease his examination of the little girl's hand. Hanbin's sister was thrilled, laughing when Jinhwan brought her hand up to his face, his eyes closed contentedly. 

"Han-"

"Would you stop that?" The Dominant said, turning to his mother. "First off, Jinhwan is not an it. He is a he, and he doesn't need a shock-collar. He's not going to eat her, and if you would stop yelling, he would be a hell of a lot more relaxed right now." 

  His mother gave him a skeptical expression, side-eyeing Jinhwan warily. 

"Is he trained?"

Hanbin nodded.

"Are you sure?"

Hanbin nodded again.

"Does he bite?"

Another nod accompanied with, "but he won't because I didn't ask him to."

Silence reigned in the hall, broken only by Jinhwan laughing quietly (another first of the day) as the little girl pulled on his hair and stuck her fingers into his eyes and nose as only toddlers do.

"Can I pet i-him?" She asked, although she was clearly uncomfortable with the thought of it. Hanbin smiled, took her hand, and reached out, using his other hand to get Jinhwan's attention and coax him to his feet. He could feel his mother trembling, the stories of what fighters could do to a person's body clearly very prominent in the forefront of her mind, but he took her hand and just held her wrist, her hand limp, and watched as Jinhwan thoroughly examined every inch of it, bending the fingers and turning it over and back again, utterly fascinated with somebody's hand that was not his own. She laughed as he appeared delighted at the way that her hands had slight wrinkles and no calluses, and slowly, she brought her other hand up to ruffle his hair, surprised at the softness of the texture.

Jinhwan dropped her hand and leaned into the hand that was now rubbing tiny, soothing circles into the soft skin behind his ears and his eyes slid shut as he sighed. Hanbin laughed at the blissful expression on the fighter's face, and his mother relaxed slowly. Jinhwan's voice joined Hanbin's as he laughed as well, and soon, the entire foyer was filled with laughter. 

 

"So, is Dad not coming to visit?" Hanbin asked. They had moved to the sitting room, the fighter lying on his stomach on the floor, eyes closed and to all appearances, asleep, the little girl astride his back messing up his hair with chubby fingers, the two Alphas taking up residence on the couch. 

 "Not this time," his mother replied, not taking her eyes off of the two on the floor. "He has a business meeting, but wanted me to tell you that he's sorry that he couldn't make it." 

  Hanbin sighed, and Jinhwan's eyes opened, searching the Dominant's face carefully. 

  "I'm honestly not surprised," Hanbin sighed, rubbing his face wearily. "He hasn't even seen me since I moved out of your place, and he always has some excuse as to why he can't come."

Jinhwan propped himself up on his elbows, tuned into Hanbin's every action as per usual. Hanbin's mother sat back against the couch cushions, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully. 

"Just how smart is he?" She asked after a moment. Hanbin smiled and slid off of the couch, kneeling in front of the fighter, making sure that his mother could see. 

  Pointing at himself, Hanbin nodded at his mother, mouth quirking up at one corner in the way that it did when he was nervous. What if Jinhwan's words from earlier had been nothing but a fluke? What if he couldn't really talk, and was just making random sounds? However, this was not the case, he found out barely a half-second after indicating to himself.

"H-Hah-bee!" Jinhwan declared, smiling broadly. Hanbin's mother gasped and joined her son on the rug. 

"Make him do it again," she whispered, disbelief tainting her voice. 

  "Nobody makes him do anything. I can ask him, though," Hanbin laughed, pointing at himself again.

"H-Hah-bee," Jinhwan repeated, his eyes alight with pride. Taking Hanbin's hand so that it pointed at himself, he spoke his own name.

"Jee-wah!" 

Sitting back, Hanbin's mother crossed her ankles and let out a burst of air. 

"He can talk," she said faintly.

"Yes."

"And he can say his name and your name."

"Yes."

"Did you train him to do this?"

"No."

  "So he just picked it up on his own."

"Yes."

"Can he say anything else?"

  "I do not know." 

  "Umma, I hungry," the little girl whined, toppling off of Jinhwan's back into her mother's arms. Jinhwan watched her very carefully, and then piled into Hanbin's arms, knocking the Dominant back. 

"H-Hah-bee, huh-kree," he sounded out carefully, rolling the word around in his mouth carefully as though he was trying it out. Hanbin looked at him incredulously. His fighter had just picked up another word, and was still in the process of pulling his limbs into the Dominant's lap, mimicking the little girl's actions somewhat awkwardly. 

"I'm not hungry," Hanbin said carefully, pointing at himself. Jinhwan shook his head, his expression annoyed as though he was through with Hanbin's stupidity. 

"Huh-kree?" This time, the word was a question, and the Dominant realized that Jinhwan wanted to know what it meant. Turning to his mother, he met her shocked expression with one of his own. He had not known that his fighter could talk, but for a few hours, and already, the fighter knew three words. Well, he knew two, and could say another. But, Hanbin wasn't picky. As far as he was concerned, Jinhwan was perfectly fluent in the language. 

Jinhwan lifted Hanbin's hand to his mouth, biting down softly on the soft skin on the underside of his thumb as he did to reassure himself that Hanbin was indeed his master. Using the other hand, Hanbin pulled the fighter in closer until they were pressed so close that Jinhwan's chest pressed almost uncomfortably against Hanbin's as they breathed.

 

The days went by, each a new discovery for the fighter. One of the days that was a superb revelation was the day that Hanbin coaxed Jinhwan to eat a cookie. Typically, Jinhwan would only eat bread and meat that was cooked so that it was still slightly cool in the center, and would turn his head away from everything else that Hanbin introduced. It was a day when he was just grasping the knack of wrapping his fingers around a fork, and Hanbin placed a sugar cookie in front of him, a plain, nondescript, pitifully white cookie. 

"No." Jinhwan had learned that word from Hanbin's little sister and used it more than any other, with the exception of Hanbin's name, a word that was used more than twenty times a day. Hanbin thought that he'd grow tired of hearing his name repeated so often, but to his surprise, every time that he heard it, he'd melt all over again. Jinhwan turned his face away from the cookie, displaying his right cheek and the tiny mole that sat below the edge of his cheekbone. Hanbin picked it back up and handed it to the fighter.

"At least try it," Hanbin urged, raising his eyebrows pointedly, brandishing the cookie at his fighter again. He could see that Jinhwan was considering denying again, but the Sub was nothing if not willing for Hanbin, so he accepted the sweet and raised it to his mouth. Hanbin saw that he was warring internally, before his lips cracked open and he took a tiny bite. The most peculiar expression came over his face and he took another bite, this one much larger than the last. The strange expression turned to one of pure delight and he finished the cookie in one go, smiling broadly. Pointing at his mouth, he gave Hanbin a quizzical expression, tilting his head to the side.

"Cookie," Hanbin said.

"Kookeeee." Jinhwan dragged the word out, but Hanbin smiled and nodded anyway. Glancing at the clock, he felt his heart beat a little bit quicker. They were going to be late for the fight that was scheduled that afternoon, and he didn't want to foot the late-arrival fee that he'd be loaded with. Usually all too glad to go in the car for a ride, whether it be to travel to the arena or to the park or wherever, Jinhwan dragged his feet, throwing his weight back against Hanbin's hand. He shook his head mutely, lips pressed shut, and Hanbin was confused.

"What's wrong, Hwan?" He asked, turning to face him. Jinhwan whimpered, and when he tugged on Hanbin again, the Dominant caught a small whiff of a scent that he was all-too familiar with at this point. 

Jinhwan was going into Pre-Heat again. 

Hanbin ducked down to get his house key out from where he kept it, in the mouth of a stone dog that held a lantern between its feet, calling up the director and asking to reschedule his fight due to an issue with his fighter. Jinhwan watched him carefully, and then dashed inside when the door was opened.  

"Where'd you go?" He called as he walked through the house. Jinhwan was nowhere to be found, which tended to happen just before his Heat hit him fully, and Hanbin sighed, going to his room and removing his coat and socks. As much as his body physically enjoyed being so intimate with his fighter, and how much his mind enjoyed the nearness of having Jinhwan in his arms, he always felt guilty, knowing that his Sub wasn't fully understanding of why  his body wanted to seek out the pleasure that Hanbin's body gave him. Jinhwan panicked before he got to Hanbin every single time, simply for the reason that he couldn't control his body or his mind. 

"Jinhwan? Come here, buddy," Hanbin called, and Jinhwan appeared around the door jamb, panting, neck and face shining with sweat. His head was hanging low between his shoulders and he looked very off-put as he usually did in the very last minute before his Heat hit him full-force. Sliding into Hanbin's lap, Jinhwan let out tiny, slightly-pained noises as the smell of Heat rose from his skin. Fisting his hands in material of his shirt, he pulled the fabric away from his skin, trying his hardest to cool himself down. Hanbin felt his own skin heat and felt his body trying to cool itself down by making hiim sweat until he was about as slick with sweat as his fighter. Groaning as he pushed the fighter away, Hanbin began to remove his jeans and shirt. Jinhwan's tiny hands joined Hanbin's as the Dominant lowered his arms, sliding his hands across his collarbones for the sake of feeling his skin and how warm it was becoming. Helping the fighter to remove his own clothes so that the outfit wouldn't get shredded to pieces. The moment that their skin was bare, Jinhwan was pressing close, breath passing over Hanbin's neck as the Dominant lowered the both of them to the cool, undisturbed sheets and duvet. 

Using his hips to nudge Jinhwan's thighs apart, Hanbin's lips parted as he pressed down into the Sub, allowing the most base, primal instinct of Heat to take over his mind as Jinhwan's legs tightened around his waist and his head was thrown back with his full, pretty lips frozen open in a silent gasp, an inaudible moan, and Hanbin shivered. His fighter was easily overwhelmed during Heat, which Hanbin found endearing, the way that Jinhwan would cling to him, hands that could tear Hanbin's head from his body instead holding Hanbin's head to Jinhwan's collarbones. Legs that could propel his body nearly twice his height into the air shook with want and need, clinging so pitifully to Hanbin's waist, and it was the only time that Hanbin felt fully, one hundred percent felt that he was on the same level as Jinhwan, not any more or less intellectually advanced and it was clear that his Sub felt the same.   

"H-Hah-bee," Jinhwan choked out, reaching for Hanbin as Hanbin reached for him. Proof that the Heat had taken firm hold of his fighter pressed solidly against Hanbin's stomach, reminding the Dominant that his Sub was a human being as well, just one with a slightly different genetic makeup. It wasn't fair, Hanbin thought, his eyes flickering down to Jinhwan's lips. It wasn't fair that this creature, this gorgeous man, wasn't able to express himself through verbal eloquence and emotional soundness, and that Hanbin could. He was no better than Jinhwan, and Jinhwan was no better than he was. They were equal, he decided, and he dropped his forehead to rest against Jinhwan's, staring deep into the dark brown eyes that were so close, so close that Jinhwan went cross-eyed in order to keep Hanbin in focus. 

Hanbin's face was so close to his own, and Jinhwan decided that he liked the smell of an aroused, peaceful, excited and calm Hanbin. The conflicting smells that were coming off of Hanbin were so unique and individual, and Jinhwan breathed in so deeply that he felt as though his chest would explode. He wanted to keep breathing Hanbin in, wanted to continue to stare into Hanbin's eyes, and wanted Hanbin in a way that he would never have known that he could want something or someone before the day that his sire had prompted Hanbin into buying him. 

"Hwan," Hanbin gasped out, holding his Sub, the fighter who had become a staple in his daily life, the one human being who did not cause him to lose patience. No, Jinhwan was special to him, a person who was quickly gaining in intelligence and compassion, a person who loved Hanbin no matter what the Dominant said or wore or cooked. In Jinhwan's  eyes, Hanbin was his light and water, something that he couldn't live without. Having lived with the Dominant for so close to a year, Jinhwan was quickly forgetting life in the Hub and was adapting to life with Hanbin rather well. 

Knowing better than Jinhwan that their bodies were fully aroused and ready for the next step in Heat, Hanbin decided that for once, he'd tease, make Jinhwan beg and plead, toss his head until he was ready to fly apart at the smallest touch, feeling as though Jinhwan had experienced enough sexual stimulation at this point. Sliding firm, warm hands down the burning skin at the fighter's sides, Hanbin dug the pads of his fingers in and Jinhwan gasped, eyes flying open wide before those same fingers dug into the skin just above the area where his thighs came to an apex, narrowly avoiding just what Jinhwan craved to be touched. The fighter groaned, his own fingers clutching the bedspread beneath him for dear life as Hanbin's fingers, fingers that always prepared food and opened doors and bathed Jinhwan and combed Jinhwan's hair, fingers that always seemed so innocent (but that Jinhwan was never going to see as such again), slid down the sensitive, trembling skin at the join where Jinhwan's thighs met his body and the tip of a finger pressed past the first ring of muscle. 

Hanbin smirked, lowering his face to Jinhwan's leg to stare up the fighter's body at his face. A pretty little blush was spreading across the Sub's face and inched downwards to his chest, painting the skin there a vibrant shade, and Hanbin thought that the way that Jinhwan's eyes sparkled so brightly was one of the most beautiful things that he had ever seen. Jinhwan's legs were still wrapped around Hanbin's waist, so the Dominant had to bend his body a bit to manage to slide another finger into the tight warmth that was Jinhwan. The fighter in question hissed through his teeth, sounding like a leaky tire, hips pressing upwards only to be pushed firmly back down by the Dominant that was in the process of making him fall apart. 

Jinhwan knew a lot; he knew how to fight, how to be patient, how to dress and feed himself, how to drink from a cup and how to get a cup(but not a glass; Hanbin placed the glasses on the shelves that were too high for Jinhwan to reach(though Jinhwan could get one easily if he'd wanted one), claiming that the fighter would break one and make a mess) down from the cupboard. He knew how to get Hanbin to move over in the middle of the night if the Dominant was taking up too much room on the bed, and he knew how to manipulate his Hanbin into allowing Jinhwan any food or drink that he wanted. He knew just how to blink his eyes to melt the annoyance from Hanbin's face if Jinhwan had spilled something on the carpet or when the phone rang and Hanbin recieved yet another call from a handler that cancelled upon the grounds that they wanted to keep their fighter alive and so refused to pit their charge against Jinhwan. He knew how to form words to ask for some things and how to say that he didn't want something. What he didn't know were the words to express what he was feeling as Hanbin pulled his fingers free and replaced them with something that quite definitely not as slender or gentle as fingers. 

Hanbin surged forwards, his body breaking out into a sweat that did nothing to cool his body, but did assist in the smoothness of the glide of his chest against Jinhwan's. In the past, he'd always felt a small shred of guilt, but with time, with each Heat, he felt the guilt disappear as it became increasingly evident that Jinhwan knew what was occuring around him and to him. Now, as Jinhwan's hands clung, one with outflung arm clinging to the sheets, the other to the skin that covered trembling muscle, Hanbin felt absolutely no guilt, feeling as though his Sub was more than plenty experienced enough. 

With the motion, Jinhwan threw his head back and panted. Teeth that could make short work of the reinforced uniforms of other fighting Sub-Alphas gleamed brightly before biting down on a full, but somehow still delicate, lower lip before Jinhwan brought his head up and set those teeth into Hanbin's shoulder, pressing down firmly, but still not drawing blood. He was exercising an insane amount of self-control, Hanbin realized, and for that, Hanbin pivoted his hips to one side, solidly impacting a place deep inside the fighter that had Jinhwan dropping back down into the bed, the cords of his neck standing out in high relief as, with a tremendous trembling and tightening of his muscles, he came, painting warmth onto his and Hanbin's chests. Hanbin didn't have time to feel the glow of satisfaction, however, before his own high ripped through his body and steeled his muscles from head to toe, his knot swelling and locking him within Jinhwan's body.

The two simply panted for moment, bodies cooling as the smell of Heat faded in the room, and then Hanbin rolled them to the side, propping Jinhwan's leg up on his waist to make it more comfortable for the both of them to wait out the knot. 

"You okay, Hwan?" Hanbin asked, his chin propped up on top of Jinhwan's head and Jinhwan's forehead against Hanbin's chest. 

"Jee-wah 'kay. Hah-bee 'kay?" Jinhwan returned, wrapping an arm around Hanbin's torso. Hanbin's eyes widened for a moment. Jinhwan had dropped the extra syllable in front of his name, which meant that his pronunciation was getting better. Not only that, but Jinhwan had returned Hanbin's query with a sentence and a question of his own which had never happened before. Somehow, someway, Jinhwan was becoming more and more intelligent, and the question of "how much can he understand" flashed through Hanbin's head for the hundred thousandth time. 

"Hah-bee?" Jinhwan propped himself up on an elbow to peer into Hanbin's face. Hanbin released a breath that he hadn't even realized that he was holding before pulling Jinhwan tight to his body and rolling them over until Jinhwan was lying on top of the Dominant with a confused expression. 

Hanbin's chest felt tight. He felt as though all of the love that he had for the Sub was tearing through him, fueling the pride that coursed along each vein until it seemed that his skin would split apart, baring his heart for the whole world to see. Jinhwan scented the air, smelling only sheer happiness which had him smiling and flopping down limply onto Hanbin's chest, content to let Hanbin's hands wander all over his skin and ruffle through his hair. For that moment, they were connected, physically, mentally and emotionally, and Jinhwan felt a pang of sadness, knowing that in a few hours, they would lose one of those aspects when Hanbin's knot went down and it was time for them to separate and clean up. He wished that they could always stay together like this, though he knew that he had fights and Hanbin had work to do at the computer in the office room and they had to eat and go shopping for more food and clothes. Sighing, he allowed his afterglow to take him down into the feathery, dark comfort of sleep. 

 

"Mino!" Hanbin called a few weeks later, running up to the other handler and his fighter as they prepared for a fight. The older man turned, his face lighting up when he recognized the Dominant. The other fighter -Taehyun? was that his name? Hanbin thought that it was- seemed to sulk as the entirety of his Master's attention was taken from him, but he didn't move to act upon it. 

"Hanbin, right?" Mino asked, his voice bright as he shook Hanbin's hand jovially. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" Hanbin nodded yes to both. Just as he opened his mouth to ask the other a question, a manager came and collected Mino and his fighter for their fight. 

Straining his ears in the corridor, Hanbin could just barely hear the slamming of the grate as both fighters were released into the ring, could hear the crowd roaring their support for either of the fighters, and barely twenty minutes later, heard footsteps dragging towards him. Mino was pale and drenched in sweat, although Taehyun appeared to be fine, a thin veneer of sweat the only evidence that he'd been locked in a life-or-death situation merely five minutes before.

"You okay?" Hanbin was out of his seat to help the other handler into a chair in the preparation kennel, only to be stopped by a firm hand and a low rumble from the fighter. Stepping back, Hanbin watched as Taehyun allowed Mino to clutch onto his arms as he collapsed into the chair. Passing a shaking hand over his face, Mino inhaled and exhaled sharply, the color coming back into his face after a minute. Standing on legs that could barely hold him, he seized Taehyun and yanked the fighter into a hug, his face in the Sub's shoulder, the tall Sub returning the gesture with feigned annoyance. 

Hanbin felt as though the two were completely oblivious to his presence, but after a moment, Mino pulled back and addressed him.

"I'm sorry about that. It's just that I'm so afraid to lose him, and every fight seems as though it could be his last. Each opponent is tougher and tougher to beat, and after watching this fight and seeing that for the first time, Taehyun was fighting for his life against someone that was nearly evenly matched, I think it's time to retire," Mino said, casting his fighter a fond look that the Sub blatantly ignored, although the faint blush that rose to his cheeks was unmistakable. Hanbin understood, and he told Mino so, the two sitting on chairs facing each other, Taehyun going to the back of the kennel to spread out on the cot and, to all appearances, going to sleep. 

"So, what's up? And, where's your fighter?" Mino asked, his eyes casting around. Hanbin sighed, dropping his elbows to his knees, and dropping his head to his hands. 

"Stop with the dramatics, and just answer the man's questions," a voice snapped out. Hanbin's head snapped up; the voice was not Mino's. He glanced behind him, but didn't see anybody standing there, and when he faced forwards again, he saw only Taehyun sitting up, fitting something into his ear, a disgruntled expression on his face.

 

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Hey, guys! I hope that you liked this update as much as I did. Lawd, Jinhwan is adorable... *squeals uncontrollably for a brief moment*

I know that this is probably riddled with grammatical and spelling errors, but I'll come back and fix them soon enough. 

Pleasepleaseplease subscribe, upvote and leave a comment! 

 

Comments are love!!! 

~~Mak~~

 


	4. Don't Hang On

_ Chapter Four: Don’t Hang On _

*A/N~ Slight warning. Folk die up in this chapter. But, don't be put off. Please continue. 

 

Mino was on his feet in a second, standing over his fighter with a terrified and guarded scent billowing off of him in cloying waves.

            “Why’d you talk?” He snapped. “We barely know him, Tae!” Taehyun finished fitting the hearing aid into his ear before leaning back on his hands, looking up at his handler with a slightly patronizing glare.

            “You can _smell_ it on him, Song,” Taehyun bit. “His fighter’s progressed, Mino. It’s got intelligence; we can trust this guy.”

            Hanbin was impressed. As an Alpha, his nose was extremely keen; although Jinhwan’s far outstripped his own (the fighter could smell the individual ingredients in cookies as Hanbin got them out of their various places in the kitchen.). It seemed as though Taehyun’s was far more sharp than either of theirs however, and Hanbin chalked it up to being one basic sense short, having to rely on smell, sight and touch more than most to survive in daily life.

            “Wait- your fighter talks too?” Hanbin’s breath caught in his throat. Jinhwan wasn’t the only one? How many other fighters were in possession of this ability, but were not able to show any of it? Mino’s face darkened and he moved to block the view of Taehyun from the outside of the kennel, glancing behind him at the poorly-lit, but empty hallway.

            “We can’t talk about this here, okay?” Mino hissed. “Can we go somewhere else? Somewhere safe?”

            Taehyun rolled his eyes.

            “Uh, my place is pretty…safe…” Hanbin offered. “We can go there if you want?”

            Mino nodded his agreement, grabbing his coat, keys and Taehyun before leading the way out of the kennel. Hanbin followed behind them at a distance.

            All that he’d wanted was answers as to why his fighter was acting more and more like a typical Alpha and not like a fighter. He’d wanted to know why his own mind and body were so tuned into Jinhwan’s every move, but it appeared as though he’d stumbled onto something that was a lot greater and much graver than he’d anticipated.

 

            Jinhwan rose from the couch, stretching his arms above his head before shuffling to the door. He’d been napping on the couch when he heard the car pull into the driveway, followed by the unmistakable sound of a second vehicle behind them. He assumed that it was Hanbin’s mother come to visit again, and he yawned, waiting patiently for Hanbin to open the door. The key turned in the lock and the door opened, the fighter raising his arms to have the Dominant pick him up.

            No sooner had Hanbin complied with this request than did Jinhwan’s nose pick up the unmistakable scent of a fighter that he remembered all to well, the fighter with the strange eyebrows and soft hair that had completely thrashed him in a fight. Immediately, Jinhwan was shoving Hanbin behind him, all narrowed eyes and bared teeth. His mind was set to one thing: protect Hanbin at all costs.

            “Hey, hey, it’s okay, Hwan. It’s alright; they’re friends,” Hanbin soothed, trying to gather Jinhwan back into his arms. Jinhwan understood that Hanbin had just identified the fighter and the strange, dark-scented handler as _friends_ and therefore not threats, but he remembered just how much pain he’d been in at the hands of the other fighter and he was not about to submit his Hanbin to such agony if he had anything to do with it.

            “Just come in and take a seat,” Hanbin grunted, finally securing a hold on Jinhwan’s waist and hauling the fighter backwards. “He’ll settle in a minute. In the meantime, can I get either of you a drink?”

            “A beer. Cold,” Taehyun said at the same time that Mino replied, “We’ll just take water.” The fighter gave his handler a strange look and then seemed to deflate, stepping just the slightest bit behind the Alpha as if saying that Mino had won this round of conflicting interests.

            Hanbin raised his eyebrows at the two, pointing them in the direction of the living area and dragging Jinhwan off to the kitchen. Going limp as soon as Hanbin sat him on the counter, the Sub sat with his head drooped low between his shoulders, examining his fingers over and over again as though expecting something to have changed in the half second since he’d last seen them. Hanbin leaned over him, a smell of patient frustration rising from his pores.

            From the living room, Taehyun caught a whiff of the other Dominant’s emotions and he smiled.

            “He’s got good control over him, Mino, and you can really tell that that kid loves him, too. It’s incredible,” he mused, pulling his legs up so that he was leaning against his handler, propping his head on Mino’s shoulder. The Alpha raised an arm to wrap around Taehyun’s shoulders, sighing contentedly.

            “Look, Hwan,” they heard Hanbin faintly say. “I know that you fought him at some point, and you’ve got some sort of bone to pick with him, but they’re _guests_ and friends, and you need to be good while they’re here. Can you be good?”            

            Jinhwan didn’t respond, although even Taehyun heard him heave a heavy, long sigh.

            “Jee-wah good,” he finally relented, wrapping his arms and legs around Hanbin. The Dominant hugged him back, and then stepped back, disentangling Jinhwan’s limbs from his body.

            “Thank you, Hwannie,” Hanbin sighed. “Now, help me get their waters.”

            Jinhwan nodded, skipping over to the cupboard and grabbing a plastic cup. Hanbin took it from him and replaced it with a glass cup.

            “Use this one. I get the feeling that that fighter wouldn’t appreciate the fine quality of the plastic in our cups.”

            A minute later, Jinhwan sulked into the room, forcing the glass into Taehyun’s hands before settling on the opposite couch to stare at the strangers in his home. Mino had his glass handed to him more delicately, Hanbin going to join Jinhwan on the opposite couch.

            “So your fighter talks,” Hanbin began. Mino nodded, sipping lightly from his glass, his eyes sliding closed as the coolness of the water went down his throat.

            “Yep, he talks. He’s a rare one, aren’t you, Tae?”

            Taehyun sent him a scathing look before scooting away and leaning against the arm of the couch instead.

            “Shut up. Don’t talk to me like I’m a baby,” he snapped, though, if his smell was anything to go by, his protests were only a matter of form. His scent only suggested fondness for his handler. Mino smiled and settled back.

            “So, what’s his name?” He started.

            “Jinhwan,” Hanbin responded, turning to look at how his fighter’s small, delicate eyes cast over to his face, inspecting every square centimeter with diligence. Mino nodded appreciatively, and then nodded distractedly at Taehyun as the fighter wormed his way back over so that their thighs were pressed together.

            “Jinhwan… Mean’s “precious light,” or something like that, right?” Mino mused, sitting forward to stare directly at Hanbin. The younger Dominant shifted under his scrutinizing glare, but did not flinch away. He nodded in agreement.

            “I’m smart enough to know that you didn’t show up at the arena to invite us over to talk about names over a glass of water. What’s really up?” Mino shot.

            Hanbin paused before replying. Clearly, Taehyun talked, so Mino was comfortable with talking fighters, and Sub-Alphas who broke the norms that were preset for them. In Hanbin’s mind there was nothing rational to be nervous about.

            “He talks. Jinhwan talks. Fighters and Sub-Alphas are not supposed to talk; it’s not part of their genetic codes. They’re not supposed to be smart, and they’re supposed to attack everything that moves, they’re vicious and unreasonable, so why does it seem like he’s just a normal person?” Hanbin’s voice rose in pitch until he was speaking with great agitation. Taehyun and Mino shared a look, the fighter closing his eyes and flopping backwards, a pained expression on his face.

            Mino stood, paced back and forth a few steps before sitting back down with his elbows on his knees, leaning close to Jinhwan and Hanbin. Jinhwan tensed and growled a bit, and then he relaxed as Hanbin’s hand flexed on his leg, reassuring him that everything was alright.

            “It’s like this.” Mino’s voice seemed to have dropped a few octaves and Hanbin shivered with the sudden chill that washed over him.

            “I don’t believe that there’s anything that makes Subs different from us. Like pit bulls, who get a bad reputation for being vicious attack dogs in America, their temperament all depends on how they’re raised and treated. From birth, Taehyun wasn’t treated any differently from me; that’s how he learned to talk. And since you treat Jinhwan like a person by not chaining him up and by loving him, he’s already had a change of disposition. You’ve done nothing but good for him, you know that?”

            Hanbin held his hand up.

            “They’re the same as everyone else? How do you explain the Heats, the strength and the savagery?”

            Mino chuckled deep in his throat and Taehyun’s eyes gleamed.

            “So, everybody goes through Heats. They occur every few weeks, which you already knew. Omegas have it the worst, and they can’t go outside without being attacked and bred to someone. Betas just want to have sex with someone, but the urge isn’t exactly strong enough for them to actually act upon them uncontrollably. Like the Betas, the Alphas also go through a period of a few days where they will bang pretty much anything, but both genders have the self-control to put aside those urges and ignore them. Soon enough, it becomes second nature right?”

            Hanbin remembered his high school days when he’d sit back, eying any pretty set of legs that walked by, male or female, going home to jerk off guiltily. He remembered just how helplessly he’d wanted those legs around his waist, the full lips and pretty hands on his body, but he _had_ learned to control them until he no longer even noticed that he even had the slightest urge for that anymore.

            “A fighter is force-fed drugs that make them entirely immune to the sexual urges that most others feel. When they’re bought by a private handler, if the handler doesn’t give them the drug, they release pheromones not unlike Omegas’ and go into “Heat.” It’s entirely new for them, so they kind of go insane, not knowing how to handle something like that.  

            “When a litter is born, the pups are classified into one of the three genders. The parents are required to keep track of the pups’ behavior, and if one of the pups plays a little bit more aggressively, intensive studies are done on that pup. The pup is always an Alpha, Dominant and strong-willed, and always is the one who establishes and enforces the pecking order within the litter. When they are taken away, with the tests and studies that are done on them, they miss out on the lessons in which they learn how to speak and take care of themselves. They are thrown into a situation in which they are _forced_ to fight to survive, and so they become suspicious of everything, attacking everything that comes near them. They come to know that fighting is the only way that they’ll stay alive, and so they fight harder and harder. All of this- the fights, the fighters, it’s all a big experiment being conducted by the government. They want to see just how being raised can affect a person’s growth, and they also want to promote the economy by holding these fights which bring in an inappropriate amount of money. They keep all of this a secret from everybody, even though the commercial handlers and trainers have to have a certain certification that hints at this. However, the _instant_ that the government learns of a fighter having intelligence, they will come and get them, submit them to intensive training that will either cause the fighter to revert back to their primal, “savage” ways, or will cause them to mature into fine, refined, polished members of society. It’s cruel, and immoral, how they treat those fighters that they get in their labs, the fighters who have intelligence, and I’ll be _damned_ if I’m going to put Taehyun in a position where he has the potential to be submitted to that!”

            Mino’s chest heaved and he pressed a hand to it, surprised at the vehemence in his own voice. Taehyun wrapped both arms around him, silent but supporting nonetheless and Hanbin unconsciously pulled Jinhwan into his arms, the fighter snuggling close contentedly. He never wanted to pass up an opportunity to cuddle with his Hanbin, _his_ Hanbin.

            “So, what do I do? Should I stop fighting him?” Hanbin asked some minutes later when Mino had seemed to have recovered from his fit of passion.

            “Ask him,” the answer came. “Taehyun fights because he enjoys it, so you might want to ask Jinhwan how he feels about fighting. He’s a person too, and for all you know, he could _hate_ fighting, but he does it for you because he loves you. Have you ever asked him?”

            Hanbin turned to Jinhwan, his eyebrows crooked. Before he could even get words out, his chest felt tight and he felt tears come to his eyes. Jinhwan’s own eyes widened and he scrambled to straddle Hanbin’s lap, holding the Dominant’s face between both of his hands.

            “Hah-bee ‘kay?” He asked worriedly, his head tilting to the side. Hanbin couldn’t reply, only pulled Jinhwan in closer. He wasn’t sure of the validity of Mino’s claim, but judging by how rapidly Jinhwan was gaining in intelligence and articulation, he also wasn’t sure if there were many, if any, faults in the statement. All of what Mino had said seemed so very plausible and Hanbin could relate it to his daily life with Jinhwan.

            “Do all Dominants cry all the time? Because you two are the biggest wimps that I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” Taehyun said, grumbling as Mino pulled him into his lap. Hanbin choked out a watery laugh, pushing Jinhwan back so that he could breathe. The fighter waited until he could ensure that Hanbin was not longer crying until he slid from the Dominant’s lap.

            “You guys are going to be just fine,” Mino said, smiling at the two. Beckoning to Taehyun, he stood and bowed.

            “Thanks for the water, and any time you need advice, just call me. I wrote my number down on that notepad right there, and you can call whenever you’d like.”

            Hanbin stood up, walking them to the door when a thought struck him.

            “You said that the Heats happen because the fighters aren’t exposed to any kind of sexual contact. If that’s the case, then how does Taehyun…?” He trailed off, too embarrassed to continue.

            Taehyun’s lips curved up into a wicked grin and Mino raised an eyebrow.

            “Should we tell him or should we let him figure it out?” Taehyun asked in a mock-aside, his eyes never losing their devious glint. Mino rolled his eyes and yanked on Taehyun’s arm, pulling him from the doorstep of Hanbin’s house.

           

 

            “Ha- _n_ -Bee- _n_ -“ Hanbin tried for the ten thousandth time a couple of weeks later. Jinhwan merely rolled off of the bed, dropping his shoulders as he looked outside at the sun shining merrily on the bright greens of spring.

            “Please?” Hanbin prompted, wanting Jinhwan to perfect his pronunciation so that in time, he’d be as eloquent as Taehyun was. Jinhwan ignored him, instead opting to stare at the outdoors with a pitifully wistful expression.

            “Ow-sigh?” Jinhwan asked quietly, finally noticing that Hanbin was watching him.

            “Ha- _n_ -Bee- _n_ -?” Hanbin asked back.

            “Hah-nuh-bee!” Jinhwan cried delightedly.

            _Close enough,_ Hanbin decided. They’d been working for well over two hours and Hanbin had noticed Jinhwan’s restlessness beginning about twenty minutes into the lesson. However, always willing to please, Jinhwan had been surprisingly patient, even when he pronounced things wrong and had to be corrected.

            Glancing over their outfits, Hanbin decided that they were wearing adequate clothing to face the ever-so-slight spring morning chill, opening the door to his private back porch that had steps leading down to his own, personal garden, complete with fountain and hedge maze.

            Jinhwan disappeared in a flash, though Hanbin could hear his feet rustling through the grass as the fighter ran around and around happily. He heard them coming closer and closer, though he pretended not to notice them until Jinhwan slammed into his side, knocking Hanbin clean off of the porch into the plush, well-kept grass. Growling and snarling as Hanbin rolled him over and started tickling him, Jinhwan stared up at Hanbin with a soft light shining in his eyes. _He loves you_ , Hanbin thought, hearing Mino’s voice in his head. And, there was no doubt in his mind that, as he looked into his fighter’s eyes, that his fighter did indeed hold an inconceivable amount of love for him, as much as Hanbin held in return.

 

            After asking Jinhwan if he was _sure_ that he wanted to fight, Hanbin reluctantly entered his Sub into another fight, this one a tournament, knowing that his little fighter was strong enough to take down any opposition in this bracket, a small, local competition.

            Sure enough, Jinhwan bulled through the fights, his screams louder, his teeth and hands faster and his reaction times faster than any of his opponents. He made it to the finals to nobody’s surprise, and Hanbin now stood in front of the grate, preparing himself mentally for what would occur in the next two minutes. He’d not seen the opponent that Jinhwan was to face, but if he or she’d been strong enough to overcome ten other Subs in that same day, he or she was on a level comparable with Jinhwan. A shiver ran over Hanbin’s body, and he recognized it as pure, cold fear.

            The director waved to Hanbin to step back and Jinhwan’s grate was raised, allowing the fighter to bolt into the ring, only to find that there was no opponent. Typically, the weaker opponent was released first, the stronger released later to give the weaker fighter a chance to get his bearings in the arena. Dread settled in the pit of Hanbin’s stomach and he felt bile rise in his throat.

            With a slow, nearly painful grate of stone on steel, the other fighter was released into the ring.

            Hanbin was caught off guard.

            This fighter came in quietly. He had the largest, prettiest eyes that Hanbin had ever seen, and he had the most perfect mouth as could ever have been on anybody at any point in time. He was small, about the same size as Jinhwan, but better than anyone, Hanbin knew that size had nothing to do with the fight-quality of a Sub. Casting his eyes around, he saw the other handler standing in the doorway to the arena. Hanbin’s blood ran cold. The other man was huge, scarred and muscular, and he stood with legs spread in a stance of cockiness and power, an air that was only partly mirrored in his fighter.

            Jinhwan growled low in his throat, the other fighter only matching it with a higher-pitched snarl. Not to be outdone, Jinhwan rushed in first, teeth finding purchase on the other’s shoulder before he leaped out of reach, eyes bright and wary. The other fighter did not even flinch, instead turning and following Jinhwan straight back, pinning him against the wall of the arena. Cornered and afraid, Jinhwan shoved back, bracing against the wall, only to land a devastating blow on the other fighter’s ribcage. The opponent gasped, staggering backwards and then recovered, rising to his full, though still not impressive by far, height.

            Hanbin watched the fight nervously, shifting his weight and fidgeting with his hands. Jinhwan’s opponent had a strange attack strategy: attack, recover, analyze, and copy the opponent’s previous move, attack again. Hanbin had never seen another fighter fight with the same ripslash motion that was so characteristic of his Sub, but sure enough, here was this fighter, turning Jinhwan’s own move against him.

            The fight dragged on.

            Both fighters were tiring. Jinhwan was becoming more snappish, but slower, and the other fighter was no longer trying to mimic his actions. Finally, the opportunity to win the fight presented itself when the opponent’s handler slammed a huge fist down on the grate and the opponent flinched.

            Jinhwan was on him in an instant. When the other fighter’s shrieks of pain had faded, Jinhwan moved back, turning his back on the trembling, bloody mess on the ground and limping over to Hanbin. Hanbin stuck his arms through the holes on the grate, touching his fighter’s face carefully. Jinhwan was winded and he bore heavy marks, but he was undeniably the winner of the fight, flying into Hanbin’s arms as the grate was opened.

            This time, Hanbin sat with Jinhwan as the stitches were put into his Sub’s skin. He felt every tremble and every flinch, but he was proud to note that Jinhwan did not make a sound or a grimace. The door slammed open just as the doctor was beginning to stitch up one of the final marks on Jinhwan’s shoulder and they all looked up to see the huge handler carrying his fighter over one shoulder.

            “Sir? What would you like for us to do? We can operate on him, make sure that he’s stable, or we co-“ The handler held up his hand, cutting off the talk from the other doctor in the room.

            “Just put him down,” he barked, turning away. “Dispose of the body and send me the bill later.”

            Hanbin met Jinhwan’s shocked eyes when he turned away from the door. The fighter didn’t understand much of what had been said, but he smelled the surprise, sadness and anger as it came off of Hanbin.

            The other fighter whimpered, trying to get off of the cot, his eyes never leaving his handler. Attempting to put his hand down, the jar of the shoulder joint where it’d been broken threw him off balance and he collapsed back, a tiny, pained gasp escaping his lips.

            Slowly, the other handler turned around and trudged back to his fighter.

            “Jinwoo,” he whispered. The fighter, Jinwoo, stared up at him, large eyes bright with tears.

            “If we don’t do this, you’ll hurt for the rest of your life. You’ve been messed up pretty bad, and it’ll be so much pain to help you to recover, and you’ll never be the same. Do you understand that?” The handler asked, staring straight into his fighter’s eyes. Jinwoo began trembling, though Hanbin suspected that it had more to do with the doctor inserting a needle into his arm than his actual comprehension of the words.

            “You’re sure that this is what you want for him?” The other doctor asked, to which the handler nodded slowly, holding onto Jinwoo’s hands tightly. The smell of alcohol spread throughout the room when the doctor opened a sterilization wipe and wiped off the rubber cap to the IV in the fighter’s arm. Jinhwan shuddered, shoving into Hanbin’s lap.

            When the doctor came at Jinwoo with the needle, the fighter seemed to know that what was about to occur was something that was terrible and that he’d never recover from. Trying to jerk away from the handler’s hands, straining to get up, to prove that he was alright, Jinwoo whimpered, whined and finally cried out as the handler wrapped large arms around him and cradled him to his chest.

            “Do it now,” he instructed the doctor, his voice tight.

            “Are you sure?” The man asked again, holding the deadly drug ready in his right hand. Hanbin eyed the green liquid and swallowed hard.

            “It’s what’s best for him. I don’t want him to suffer anymore than he has to,” the handler confirmed, holding Jinwoo tight to his chest as the doctor approached with the needle again. Slowly, the doctor administered the drug, stepping back and disposing of the needle.

            Jinwoo’s limbs slowly lost their tension, though his eyes lit up with a new level of panic before blankness overtook them and they slid closed. He was still in his handler’s arms.

            Jinhwan began trembling all over, blinking rapidly and clinging to Hanbin painfully. When the other handler stood, he made eye contact with the smaller Submissive, and his face morphed into an expression of resignation and acceptance.

            “Treat that Sub right, okay?” He said, reaching the door and throwing it open. Hanbin could do nothing but nod and hold Jinhwan close to his body.

            That night, Jinhwan cried for the first time, sobs wracking his body, tears sliding down into Hanbin’s wifebeater. Hanbin cried as well, cried for the terror and betrayal in Jinwoo’s eyes, cried for the loss of a life of a beautiful fighter that didn’t have the same chance that Jinhwan did. He could do nothing but hug Jinhwan and smooth his hair away from his face, kissing his fighter’s forehead until Jinhwan had cried himself to sleep, tiny sniffles and whimpers escaping his lips every now and then.

            Hanbin knew why Jinhwan was so distressed, and the reason disturbed him greatly. The instant that Jinwoo’s life had fled his body, the smell of death hung heavy about the room and he knew that Jinhwan was very aware of it, the Sub coughing lightly as he tried to hold his breath. More shocking, was the similarity in the scents. Jinhwan had a unique, crisp-snow scent, and Jinwoo had had the same snow-smell and approximate size.

           

Jinwoo and Jinhwan had been littermates.

 

Hanbin shuddered and lay back against his pillows. He knew that sleep would not come easily for him, the image of Jinwoo’s terrified eyes pleading to be rescued burning against his eyelids until Hanbin knew that he would not, could not ever forget just how the moment had played out. From that day onward, he vowed to save Jinhwan no matter what, knowing that as a fighter, challenges would be thrown their way every single day.

 

 

What Hanbin didn’t know was just how much he’d have to stick to his vow and how heavily it would weight on his psyche in the future.

 

 

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Comments are love!

 

~~Mak~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo


	5. Highway Run

_ Chapter Five: Highway Run _

 

 

            “Jinhwan? Where’d you go?” Hanbin’s voice was urgent, strung tight with anxiety. He couldn’t find his fighter anywhere, and he was worried that something may have happened to him.

            “Jinhwan? Hwannie? Come here, please?” He called out, placing a suitcase full of his things in the middle of the living room. They had to leave and they had to leave _now_ before they were out of time.

            Hanbin turned and opened his mouth to call out to his Sub one more time, and was met with an eyeful of a sulking Jinhwan. Clapping a hand over his mouth, Hanbin almost choked on the laugh that he forced to remain trapped inside his throat. The fighter, although usually very conscious of what he was wearing, looked ridiculous.

            Hanbin had set out a floral, baggy button-up shirt and khaki shorts, trying to see if his fighter actually would dress in what had been put out for him, since he usually opted for the dark pants and tight black tee shirts that Hanbin had purchased an abundance of after adopting Jinhwan into his home. Adding insult to injury, Hanbin had put out a pair of sandals that he was pretty sure would have only been in style when his grandfather was a teenager, and a straw hat that sat atop of Jinhwan’s soft, black hair crookedly. The sulky expression on Jinhwan’s face was just the cherry on top. Ridiculous though he may have looked, Jinhwan was still very much the cutest thing that Hanbin had ever seen, and his heart flipped and did laps around his lungs in his chest.

            “Jee-wah no ‘kay,” the fighter mumbled, walking up to his Dominant slowly. Hanbin laughed finally, pulling the Sub close to his body. Jinhwan remained stiff for several seconds before melting into Hanbin, his body relaxing to fit the curves and solidness of Hanbin without second thought. Being close to his Dominant came naturally, although it went against everything that he’d been taught. However, he’d come to ignore every single impulse that suggested that Hanbin would be one of the trainers that would be sweet and kind until Jinhwan messed up, trusting Hanbin entirely, knowing that even when he messed up, his Alpha would treat him with kindness and respect and never would do anything that would harm Jinhwan in the slightest.

            “You’re not okay? Why?” Hanbin said, nearly snorting as he tried not to laugh at the long-suffering expression that Jinhwan sent up at him. He knew just how much Jinhwan hated what he was wearing, especially because it was something that he himself never would wear. Releasing Jinhwan with one arm and reaching behind him, Hanbin pulled out another outfit, one that Jinhwan was much more comfortable and familiar with and within the next second, the fighter was gone, the sound of tearing fabric coming from Hanbin’s room as Jinhwan scrambled to be rid of his brightly-colored clothing.

 

            “What d’you think?” Hanbin asked, wrapping his arms around Jinhwan from behind. The fighter was standing, slack jawed with eyes wide open, staring at the sight in front of him. They had been out the door as soon as Jinhwan had returned from changing outfits, hopping into the car for a long ride that the Sub had slept mostly through. Upon arrival, Jinhwan had still been sleeping, so Hanbin had carried first him and then the luggage inside the massive beach house, one of many that his family owned. It had been only when Hanbin had started frying meat for dinner that Jinhwan woke, stumbling into the kitchen guided by sense of smell alone, only to halt in the middle of the kitchen, staring out the sliding glass door with an expression of wonder on his face.

            “Ow-side?” Jinhwan asked, turning around in Hanbin’s arms and looking up at the Alpha. Looking down at the tiny fighter, Hanbin felt his heart beat that much faster, his eyes flickering down to the other’s lips and then back up again. It was not the first time that he’d thought about kissing the fighter, but he knew that Jinhwan would not understand, and probably wouldn’t enjoy the action as much as Hanbin did, but that sure as hell didn’t stop Hanbin from wishing that, given the opportunity, he could teach Jinhwan to kiss, just as he had taught him so much more, from putting on clothes to clinging oh-so tightly to Hanbin during Heat and the one time that they had explored each other when Jinhwan had been entirely lucid. (That time had been the best, Hanbin thought, remembering just how awestruck Jinhwan’s every motion and expression was, knowing that he was making the fighter feel good and knowing that the fighter knew that he was making Hanbin feel good, too.)

            A sudden tightness in his jeans had Hanbin shaking his head, bringing himself back to reality.

            “You wanna go outside?” He asked, to which Jinhwan’s eyes lit up, sparkling like so many tiny lights were shining within their warm, brown depths. Smiling fondly, Hanbin stepped back, removing the frying pan from the stove and turning off the range before grabbing Jinhwan’s hand and plunging through the open door onto the patio.

            The moment that Jinhwan’s bare feet touched the sand, he recoiled, only to set his feet down again, his eyes lighting up brightly. Pulling free of Hanbin, he sat down, burrowing his fingers through the silkiness of the white sand. Up until that point, he’d only known the harshness of concrete and the inviting plush of Hanbin’s rugs, the slickness of hardwood floors that would hurt the skin if he wasn’t able to keep his balance, falling and sliding across the floor without something to cover his arms or ankles. He’d known the dampness of the soil in Hanbin’s garden and the whisper of grass against his skin, but the soft-but-still-grittiness of the sand bewildered and delighted him at the same time.

            Hanbin jerked his head, wanting to show Jinhwan so much more than the sand. The sun was setting on the beach and not a person was in sight. Hanbin didn’t expect to see another human being; the property was private and only a select few people were allowed on the land. The waves were calm, lapping at the sand with gentle splashes and the tide pools were full, tiny sea creatures inside that the Dominant just _knew_ his fighter would be fascinated with.

            Jinhwan scrambled to his feet, not quite having mastered the delicate art of walking in sand, taking off at top speed when he hit the stretch of sand where the tide had left the ground wet and hard-packed. Hanbin smiled, his heart full to bursting with love for his fighter. Mino’s words chased themselves through his head, but Hanbin shoved them back for the moment, opting instead to watch the fighter draw further and further away until he was nothing but a tiny silhouette in the distance.

            After a few minutes however, it became obvious that the tiny silhouette in the distance was becoming a lot larger and the distance was shrinking at a terrifying rate. Hanbin braced himself for impact, but it was not enough to keep his footing when Jinhwan slammed into him, tumbling the two of them into the waves, Jinhwan pulling back with a startled squawk before smiling so broadly that his eyes were reduced to mere crescents, tackling Hanbin backwards yet again. It was obvious that he had not expected the waves to be made out of water, but it was also apparent that he was enjoying the feel of the warm ocean on his skin as he crawled over Hanbin, splashing the water around. Hanbin was initially worried that Jinhwan would try to stray out too far, and that he couldn’t swim, but Jinhwan was smart, staying close and within easy reach of Hanbin. He seemed to realize the danger of the ocean without having to even be told, and a shiver ran down the Dominant’s spine at the thought of just how much Jinhwan had grown over the past year.

            They played in the water until the sun went down and gave way to the brightness of a half-moon that shone brightly on the two in the ocean. Jinhwan tired himself out, dragging his body through the water until he was standing with both arms around Hanbin’s waist, panting with exertion. It was not the first time that he’d instigated physical contact, but just like every time, a shiver ran through the Dominant’s belly.

            Jinhwan loved the closeness of standing within the protective circle of Hanbin’s arms. He loved the smell of his Alpha, and he closed his eyes as he raised his nose until his nose reached Hanbin’s chin. He felt Hanbin’s heart quicken and he wondered at that, wondered why his Dominant smelled nervous, wondered why Hanbin dipped his chin down until the next second, when Hanbin’s lips closed over his own and Jinhwan didn’t wonder anything at all.

            The sensation was strange at first, having Hanbin’s mouth on his own, but that was before he realized that he was even closer to Hanbin than ever before and he pressed up, feeling Hanbin’s hands come up to support his lower back and between his shoulders. He understood that this action was something very special, being as it was that the Dominant had never done it before and that he’d never seen anybody else do it. A tiny thrill went through his stomach as he thought about just how close they were, inhaling Hanbin’s scent and releasing it through hot little puffs of air on his Alpha’s cheek. Hanbin simply applied gentle pressure, finally breaking the kiss after something flared through him. He pulled away from Jinhwan, shoving his fingers through his hair and walking off through the waist-deep water until he was several feet from the fighter. Jinhwan was innocent, painfully innocent, and Hanbin felt guilty, felt as though he was taking advantage of his Sub. Jinhwan trusted him, and Hanbin felt as though he was betraying that trust by giving into his own desires without thought as to what Jinhwan may have thought about the kiss.

            He heard splashing behind him and Jinhwan pressed warmly against Hanbin’s back, tiny hands coming up to splay across the solid broadness of the Dominant’s chest. To hell with his guilt, he was going to kiss the fighter until the Sub gave him reason to think that he didn’t enjoy it just as much as Hanbin himself had. Turning around in Jinhwan’s grasp, he grabbed the fighter’s chin and tilted it up to meet Jinhwan’s lips with his own again. The fighter let out a pleased little sound and Hanbin felt his heart sear with simple pleasure.

            That night, Hanbin spent a good two hours in waist-deep water, the warm ocean surrounding them and lapping at their skin. He taught Jinhwan how to kiss, and the fighter was a very good learner, reciprocating every motion that Hanbin did with one of his own, sighing out happily when Hanbin finally pulled back and rested their foreheads together, breathless. Not only did he have the smell of Hanbin in his lungs, but he now had the taste of him as well, and Jinhwan ran his tongue over his lips, making sure that he’d never forget just how Hanbin had tasted, closing his eyes happily.

            They ended up stumbling back into the beach house, Jinhwan’s legs jelly beneath him, and Hanbin felt proud, knowing that he was the reason that Jinhwan’s eyes were so bright, but at the same time hazy with pleasure. The meat that Hanbin had been frying remained forgotten on the stove and the two made their way back to the bedroom, changing into dry clothes and washing up for bed before collapsing onto it, Hanbin pulling Jinhwan on top of him to kiss some more before he noticed the Sub’s responses losing their vigor and he pulled back to meet the adorable sight of the fighter’s sleepy eyes and kiss-swollen lips, rolling the two of them back over so that he was lying on his side facing the fighter, their foreheads touching and their chests pressed together. Jinhwan fell asleep quickly, his tiny fists balled up in Hanbin’s shirt in the most endearingly precious way that Hanbin had ever seen in his entire life.

            Teaching the fighter to kiss had been every bit as satisfying as he had thought it would be, Hanbin thought, bearing the memory of Jinhwan’s lips beneath his own and the pleasured little noises that his Sub had made with him as he fell into a deep, restful sleep with Jinhwan in his arms and the smell of the fighter surrounding him until he felt as though his head would burst.

 

            Once Jinhwan had learned to kiss, he was constantly seeking out Hanbin, looking for more opportunities to taste the Dominant. Hanbin couldn’t complain, wanting Jinhwan just as much as the fighter wanted him, but he also had things to do, such as brush his teeth, cook meals and show the fighter tide pools and sea animals as well. Jinhwan relented, becoming as delighted in one thing as he was in the next, his eyes never losing their sparkle and his smile never once slipping or losing some of its brightness.

            Hanbin lead him over to a tide pool, pointing out the animals inside before swirling his hand around in the water. Jinhwan stuck his feet in, only to jerk them back a half-second later with a highly-offended look on his face. He stood, muttering to himself, sitting down a few feet away to rub at the bottom of one foot. Hanbin got up, settling beside the Sub, smelling of concern.

            “Jee-wah hurt,” the fighter said, pointing at the tide pool. Hanbin narrowed his eyes, confused, and then leaned over to peer into the shallow, clear water. He only saw the usual things, a starfish, a sand dollar, and then, he spotted the culprit, a black ball of spikes hiding under a patch of disturbed sand. Fishing it out, Hanbin held it carefully in the palm of his hand, showing Jinhwan the creature. Curious as ever, Jinhwan leaned close, reaching out a hand only to have his fingers pricked by the spines of the urchin. He jumped back, narrowing his eyes and turning his back on the sea urchin, crossing his arms in an obvious pout.

            Hanbin learned that day to never expose Jinhwan to anything that was pointy and round, as the fighter would leap back, a look and smell of displeasure coming from every part of his body.

 

            The beach vacation passed seamlessly, the week flying by until it was finally time to get back into the car to head home. Jinhwan cast a forlorn look out at the sea, climbing into the car and pressing his nose against the window until the sea was out of sight. Hanbin made a mental note to bring Jinhwan to the beach in the near future, revisiting memories that had been created there with a faint blush and a shifting of how he was sitting in the driver’s seat.

            They arrived home safely, unpacking everything, and Hanbin discovered that they were nearly out of edible food, most of what had been in the fridge having spoiled during their absence. He called to Jinhwan, and they got back into the car and headed out to the store to buy more things for the two of them to eat.

            He had never had a problem with Jinhwan in public before, the fighter always quiet and keeping close, and the shopkeepers had never seen reason to ask Hanbin to remove his fighter from their stores. However, this time, Jinhwan was much more animated, tugging at Hanbin’s sleeve and pointing at different foods, begging both through actions and his limited vocabulary for the Dominant to purchase it. A young man turned around, his eyes following Jinhwan as the fighter babbled on about something that Hanbin was having a hard time following, catching sight of the fighter’s tattoo on Jinhwan’s neck.

            Hanbin noticed the young man’s obvious scrutiny and he shielded his fighter, finishing up their shopping trip and exiting the store as soon as possible.

            That night, once he’d put Jinhwan to bed, he called Mino, his heart in his throat.

            “Hello?” Mino answered the phone, his voice groggy with sleep.

            “Mino? It’s Hanbin. I think someone learned that Jinhwan can talk,” Hanbin burst, his free hand nervously twisting the cover on one of his throw pillows on the sofa. Mino’s intake of breath was sharp and his voice, when it came over the line, was dark.

            “You had better cross your fingers and pray that they didn’t report him, otherwise that fighter will very quickly become not-yours and become just another number in a government system.”

            Hanbin shoved nervous hands through his hair.

            “I can’t let that happen. What should I do? Should we leave? Should we barricade ourselves in the house? What do I do? Oh, god, Mino, I can’t lose him,” he cried into the phone, his voice shaky.

            “The first thing you need to do is calm down.” Taehyun’s voice came snapping over the line, setting Hanbin’s mind a slight bit at ease. “If you do something drastic like that, the government is bound to notice, and will most definitely come to see what’s up. They’re smarter than you, and they’re going to find out that way, since you basically just put up a red flag that is waving around screaming, ‘here I am! My fighter talks! Come take him away!’ You need to calm down and think rationally.”

            Hanbin took a deep breath. Taehyun spoke the truth. If Hanbin were to act as though he was expecting something catastrophic, it would most certainly turn heads and raise eyebrows, especially in the government systems, now that he was registered as the handler of a fighting Alpha.

            “Thanks, Taehyun,” Hanbin said, his voice sounding distant even to him.

            “Hey, it’ll be alright,” Mino said. “You’re probably just imagining that somebody overheard him talking. So, how’ve things been going with your fighter?”

            Without missing a beat, he changed the topic, effectively drawing Hanbin’s attention from worrying about the tiny fighter that slept away in the room beside the great room. Hanbin fell for the bait, relaxing until he was prepared to sleep as well, bidding Taehyun and Mino both a good night before ending the call and slipping into bed with the fighter. Immediately, Jinhwan snuggled closer, letting out a tiny, sleepy sigh as Hanbin wrapped his arms around him.

            The next morning, there were no government officials at Hanbin’s door, and he breathed a sigh of relief, a weight falling from his chest as he collapsed weakly into a chair. Jinhwan sat on the floor beside him, resting his head against his Dominant’s knee comfortably, not speaking or moving, just enjoying Hanbin’s presence and nearness.

            A few weeks passed, another Heat and another fight. Jinhwan continued to show improvements in pronunciation, and was getting increasingly difficult to keep quiet in public. At that point, Hanbin was _sure_ that more than just one person had heard Jinhwan talk, and the paranoia was nearly driving him insane. He slept with a gun under his pillow, all the doors locked and reinforced at night and Jinhwan pulled close to him so that he’d be awakened if the fighter left him for  any reason whatsoever.

 

           

            However one night, there was no wind, and no sound outside of Hanbin’s mansion. The usual night sounds were absent, but neither Hanbin nor Jinhwan heard the absence of sound, both of them deeply asleep, wrapped around each other comfortably.

            Dark shadows seemed to melt from the blackness at the perimeter of the grounds, materializing into the shapes of armed humans.

            For that moment however, Jinhwan and Hanbin slept, secure and warm in each other’s arms, unaware of the activity that was occurring around the house where they so comfortably dreamed.

 

 

 

 

 

**********************************

I’m sorry. I’m a horrible person… I took forever to update, and this chapter is just frustrating. I wanted it to be longer, but couldn’t make it any longer without putting boring, useless details into it, so I left it as it was, and now I’m posting it.

I hope that it isn’t too disappointing.

 

 

But, short, late chapters aside, HOORAY FOR FIRST KISSES, RIGHT???

 

 

Anyway, please, comment, subscribe and up vote!!!

 

Comments are love~~!!

 

 

~~Mak~~


	6. Nothing Lasts Forever

_ Chapter Six: Nothing Lasts Forever _

 

_ A/N~  _ _In order to avoid confusion, I’d like to point out that the beginning of this chapter starts a few hours before they’ve arrived back at their home, returning from the beach. So, it’s kind of an elaboration on their somewhat ambiguous return in the last half of the chapter._

           

           

            His skin was tan, and his hair was a half shade lighter, free souvenirs from their trip to the beach. Hanbin glanced from the road to his fighter, taking in the sight of the adorable, tiny, sleeping Sub, Jinhwan’s head leaning against the glass of the window, tiny puffs of air creating small patches of fog. Unconsciously, Hanbin’s eyes flicked down to Jinhwan’s lips and he felt his stomach give a tiny thrill at the thought of kissing his Sub. As if he could feel Hanbin’s eyes going back and forth between himself and the road, Jinhwan stirred awake, rubbing the sleep from his eyes adorably.

            “Hah-bee,” he greeted, smiling softly. Hanbin grinned, sliding a hand over the center console to grip Jinhwan’s knee. The fighter slumped against the window again, angling his body to keep his eyes on Hanbin. There was a time when Hanbin would have shifted under the fighter’s unfailing scrutiny, but now, he felt a pleasant burn of affection in his stomach every time he glanced over at his fighter and their eyes connected. With one hand on the steering wheel, the other always making some kind of contact with his fighter, Hanbin drove towards their home, finally pulling into the driveway in the dark cover of evening. Jinhwan bounced out of the car, coming back when Hanbin called him, unloading some bags from the trunk of the vehicle and dropping them onto the floor of the living room. He followed Hanbin around as the Dominant placed the bags in the correct rooms, finally being able to tackle his Alpha into the couch. Hanbin felt something deep inside of him stir and he rolled Jinhwan over, pressing him into the back of the couch, kissing him deeply until Jinhwan pulled back, panting for air.

            “Hwan,” Hanbin sighed, leaning forward to kiss the fighter’s forehead. Jinhwan gave a tiny whimper and wrapped his arms around Hanbin’s neck, inhaling his scent deeply. He loved Hanbin, loved him sososo _so_ much and he didn’t know just how to tell Hanbin exactly what it was that he was feeling. This new form of contact helped, especially because he could see how after they’d separated, his Alpha’s pupils were blown wide, breathing hard and the smell of pleasure and faint (and sometimes not so faint) arousal, and he knew that it had been himself, had been _Jinhwan_ that had caused those reactions. However, he didn’t know the words, didn’t know if he could force himself to form the words, and he was frustrated, frustrated to the point that he surged forward, meeting Hanbin’s lips with his own, knocking the both of them off of the couch. He wanted to show the Alpha just how much he cared for him, and he was intent on ensuring that he was the only thing in Hanbin’s mind.

 

            One night, about a month later, the night went entirely still and when Jinhwan became aware of the silence, he woke, feeling that somehow, someway, his life was about to change and not for the better.

 

 

Jinhwan was warm, physically comfortable, but there was something in the air, something faint, a disturbance that had him opening his eyes and sitting up, scenting the air carefully. Hanbin’s arm slid from his chest, and the absence of warmth had Jinhwan shivering until he wrapped his arms around himself as he rose from the bed. Hanbin rolled onto his other side, hugging a pillow to his chest. Jinhwan smiled down at him fondly before untangling himself from the blankets and padding towards the door. Just as his hand fell on the doorknob, he paused, the hair on the back of his neck standing straight up. He sprang back, a silent snarl forming on his mouth.

            Jinhwan knew the presence of danger, how it felt and how it caused his skin to crawl, and he knew that he was not mistaken in feeling as though he and Hanbin were in greater danger than they’d ever been in before. Sliding back to the bed, his eyes caught the flicker of a shadow that should never had moved and he felt an icy stab of fear. Covering Hanbin’s mouth with his hand, he muffled the sound of the Dominant startling awake.

            “Hwan? What’s going on?” Hanbin hissed, snatching Jinhwan’s hand from his mouth. Jinhwan shook his head, his eyes obviously wide and frightened even in the velvet darkness, and Hanbin felt his heart melt.

            “Bad,” Jinhwan said. Glancing over his shoulder as he felt the silence grow deeper and the danger grow closer, he repeated himself. “Bad.”

            Hanbin didn’t fully realize just how panicked Jinhwan was becoming, and he went to pull him into a hug, but Jinhwan moved back. His Alpha wasn’t understanding him and Jinhwan felt frustration rising in his chest. He knew what he wanted to say, knew what he _needed_ to say, but what he did not know was how to say that his and Hanbin’s lives were in imminent danger and that they needed to escape.

            “Bad,” Jinhwan repeated again, his voice taking on a whining lilt. And Hanbin finally seemed to understand as the weight of the silence pressed upon his eardrums.

            “Bad,” Hanbin agreed, staring straight at Jinhwan. The fighter sighed, his hands tight in the fabric of the sheets, swallowing hard as he began to shiver.

            Pointing at the glass door that led out to the garden, and then turning to point at the bedroom door, Jinhwan’s hand shook. Hanbin reached into the drawer of the bedside table and slid a handgun out, cocking it quietly. He slid from the bed walking almost as silently as Jinhwan had, narrowing his eyes as he looked out of the window into the garden.

            _Shit_ ,  he thought

 The two of them sat in complete silence, staring at each other, waiting for something, though they never could have prepared themselves for the hell that broke loose the next second.

            Black-suited men flooded into the room, shattering wood and glass on their way in, and Hanbin nearly laughed at how cliché it all seemed until Jinhwan let out a cry of pain as a man grabbed his wrist, hauling the fighter from the bed, twisting it back, ripping some of Jinhwan's skin with the roughness of his gloves. A possessiveness that had previously laid innate deep within Hanbin suddenly rose and the Alpha snarled, releasing a sound that was strangely similar to the fight-cry that Jinhwan would voice before a match. A man fell down before his hands, screaming and holding fast to the gash in his stomach. Hanbin felt a flash of morbid glee before he refocused on getting to his fighter through the solid bodies of the officials. Whirling, the fighter’s blood spattered on the wall, the burn of pain scaring him until his teeth snapped, tearing a gash in the official’s skin.  

            _I’ve got to protect him,_ Hanbin thought, seeing how Jinhwan was fighting with a calculating, shrewd ferocity, slowly becoming overwhelmed by the sheer mass of people. An arm wrapped around his throat and yanked him backwards, throttling the breath out of Hanbin, panting with the effort of keeping the sturdy Alpha contained. Raising his hands to try and pry the arm from his neck, Hanbin caught sight of the metallic glint of the metal in his fist. _Protect him whatever it takes_.

            Angling the gun so that the man behind him could see it, Hanbin let off a shot, causing his captor to release a shout and jump back, freeing Hanbin. In the sudden lull of activity, there was the sound of another gun being cocked and Hanbin froze.

            An official with an important-looking patch was standing not four feet away from Jinhwan, holding a gun up to his head, the fighter staring him down with a look of pure poison. Hanbin’s stomach dropped and without thought, he raised his gun so that it was aimed straight at the official’s head.

            “Lower your gun.” The harsh cold of Hanbin’s voice did not shock him, but it caught Jinhwan off guard, the fighter’s eyes snapping over to Hanbin, eyes taking on a new level of terror. Hanbin was light, happy, and even when he got upset, he had never smelled of cold-metal rage and danger, the scent he was throwing off now. Jinhwan whimpered, not liking this new smell, but Hanbin didn’t so much as spare him a glance.

            “Lower your gun,” Hanbin repeated, and the official smirked, tightening his finger on the trigger. Automatically, Hanbin fired, the shot seeming to echo, and the next moment, Jinhwan was coughing, pulling a blood-stained hand away from his abdomen. Hanbin’s bullet had missed by a hair’s breadth, instead impacting the wall behind the official’s head, and the official had fired, his aim thrown off by his reaction to Hanbin’s action. In the even deeper silence, Jinhwan staggered backwards, his eyes going back to Hanbin, Hanbin who no longer smelled of cold-metal fury and now smelled of bitter shock and terror. Attempting to step forward, Jinhwan’s body shook and his eyes never left his Alpha’s. With a tremendous effort, the fighter sprang to reach his Alpha and the door that was beyond.

            “Don’t let him get away! Sedate him!” The orders were picked up and echoed by all of the officials in the room, and Jinhwan went pale as the wave of people rushed towards him. He was not worried about himself, knowing that he was strong enough to handle pretty much any number of opponents, but he could no longer see Hanbin, and he could smell that the Alpha was terrified and panicked. His Alpha was in danger. _Protect the Alpha._ Hanbin, his Hanbin with the hands that would comfort and make him feel better, make him feel _goodbetterbetterthananything_

            Hanbin was shoved to the ground, a man straddling his chest and aiming a gun in his face. Jinhwan’s body stiffened and he let out a scream, throwing himself against the tide of people. Panting as he tried to free himself, Hanbin heard Jinhwan’s fight-cry and his blood ran cold.

            _Danger. Danger. Protect the Alpha._ Jinhwan’s thoughts were focused on only one thing, and he tore his way through the throng of people, stopping when he caught sight of Hanbin pinned to the ground. His muscles locked up when he saw his Alpha like that, helpless and afraid, and strong hands yanked him backwards, a prick of a needle making him tense.

            He remembered what had happened the last time he was around a needle, and he felt no desire for his body to give off the smell of death. However, darkness pressed in on his eyes, and he blinked, trying to raise leaden arms to rub his eyes awake. Hanbin looked up at him from the floor, and Jinhwan saw his mouth move. He couldn’t hear anything, a roaring growing in his ears and the floor moved up to meet him.

            Strong arms caught him, but the hands that were attached were cruel, nothing like Hanbin’s strong, steady arms with their kind, helpful hands that Jinhwan had learned good things come from. Darkness surrounded his head and with the scratch of fabric, Jinhwan realized that something had been forced over his head.

            Another needle prick.

            Nausea rose in the fighter’s stomach, and he winced, or at least he thought he did. He felt as though he was floating in water, his body out of his control for the first time that it wasn’t Heat.

            Something, someone dragged him, he could tell, feeling how his heels caught in the fabric of the rug.

            _Hanbin_ , he wanted to call out, and he felt the hands around him tighten. Maybe he had called out, but he’d never know.

            A light flickered and a door slammed shut. It sounded like a car door, or at least felt like one; his hearing was still unclear. What he did know definitely was that Hanbin's smell was being covered up and fading as the scent of hard plastic and metal took over his senses and he finally allowed his body to sink into the black pit that pressed at his temples.

           

            Jinhwan woke, surrounded by red lights, heat, the smell of chemicals and hands, so many hands prodding and poking at him. Head still fuzzy, he opened his mouth to call out to Hanbin, wondering what was going on, and then everything came back to him. The fear, the darkness, the numbness, the lack of Hanbin's smell in his nose for the first time in over a year. His eyes shot open and he scanned around the room. People in strange, bulky outfits scurried around him, and one noticed the awareness of the fighter. Another sharp prick and Jinhwan went limp and senseless against the ties that bound him to the metal table.

 

            "He's gone. They've taken him." Hanbin's voice rasped over the phone, his throat tight and straining to keep his words inside.

            "I know," Mino replied. "His capture was on the news this morning. We're on our way over there. Hang in there, Hanbin. We're almost there."

            Hanbin ended the call and threw his phone onto the couch, pacing through the house. His feet steered him away from the bedroom; the smell of his fighter was strongest there. His front door slammed open and Mino and Taehyun stormed inside, the handler's arms wrapping around Hanbin to hold him up as the Alpha sagged. Murmuring softly, Mino carried the younger Alpha to the couch, sitting beside him to watch Hanbin carefully. The younger Alpha didn't cry, instead staring at the floor and where Jinhwan's heel had flipped the corner of the rug over itself as he was dragged out.

            Taehyun stalked around the house, his eyes sharper and more aware than before. Once he made sure that there were no more officials in the house, he turned into Hanbin's room, pausing at the sight before him. There was blood on the floor, torn fabric and gouges in the hardwood flooring, glass was sparkling on the floor by the garden door, and Taehyun sighed, his head dropping low on his neck. Walking into the room, he felt a sharp pang of _something_ to his heart. He could smell Jinhwan’s terror, a smell that he’d once been in very close contact with. Another smell, another remnant of Jinhwan piqued his interest and his nose brought him over to a corner of the room where a stain of blood was spattered across the floor and wall, displaying all of the signs of a heavily-wounded person that had continued to fight. He dragged his fingers through it, noting that it wasn’t entirely dry, some of the blood flaking off of his fingers and some tainting his skin. He sniffed at it, detecting Jinhwan’s blood-smell, masked by the smell of several unfamiliar bloods.

            "Whose blood is this?" Taehyun asked, heading back into the living room. Hanbin looked up, his eyes hardened and hollow.

            "Jinhwan's and the guy who was fighting him," he replied, confirming the fighter’s suspicions. Taehyun's stomach rolled, but he fought down the feeling, sitting down hard on the nearest chair as his knees weakened. When he closed his eyes, he saw the pretty, slanted eyes and tiny mole on the fighter's cheek. He remembered how the other fighter had a personality that was centered on Hanbin, his every action and expression a reaction to whatever it had been that Hanbin had just done. Jinhwan had loved Hanbin, and Taehyun knew, knew just as well as Mino, that it was very unlikely that the two would ever be reunited. The thought of himself being taken and never seeing Mino again made him squirm.

            "We'll help you try to find him," he found himself saying. Mino's eyes flashed to him and then he nodded, patting Hanbin's back to reassure him. Hanbin sighed, a smell of hope rising faintly from his skin before he caught sight of a few drops of Jinhwan's blood, on Taehyun’s fingers and on the floor, and he rose shakily to his feet, staggered to the bathroom, and threw up.  

 

 

            “What’ve you found?” Hanbin asked, leaning over to scan Mino’s computer screen. “Anything different?”

            Mino sighed and shook his head. Looking up at his friend, he felt his heart wrench painfully and he dropped his eyes to where his hands were knotting together in his lap. Five months had passed since Jinhwan had been taken, and the loss of the fighter was telling heavily on Hanbin’s mind and body. The normally bright, calm eyes had taken on a sad, weary determination and his skin had gone pale from constant stress and worry. The healthy weight that suggested that his body was firmly muscled was dropping rapidly and hollows had grown at the base of his throat. The younger Alpha would often pass up meals, opting instead to spend that time scanning databases and picture profiles, trying to find something, anything to hint at the whereabouts of his Sub. Mino let out a huge burst of air, and turned his expression into a calming, soft look, patting Hanbin on the back comfortingly.

            “Nothing so far, but we’ve not gotten even halfway through this database yet,” he assured the younger Alpha. A hand fell on his shoulder, Taehyun using his handler as a prop to lower himself into his seat. The fighter dropped a bag full of food onto the desk between Mino and Hanbin, Taehyun raising an eyebrow as if to dare Hanbin to refuse the food.

            Hanbin didn’t take the hint.

            “I’m not h-“ he began, only to have Taehyun rise to his feet, his tall, thin frame imposing and seeming to radiate darkness. A shiver went down Hanbin’s spine before the next moment when the fighter was slamming him up against the wall on the other side of the room, both hands tight in the collar of the Alpha’s shirt. Mino came to his feet as well, staying by the desk, a calculating look on his face.

            “You’re being ridiculous.” Taehyun’s voice was cold and hard. Hanbin opened his mouth to retort, but was quickly silenced by a swift fist to the gut.

            “Grow up. You’re acting really immature right now, and you need to stop. I don’t know why you’re going about finding him like this. You’re killing yourself. You know that Jinhwan wouldn’t want you to do this. He’d want you to come for him, but he’d not want you to wear yourself down until there’s nothing left. Think of Jinhwan, Hanbin. Keep yourself healthy and strong so that he’s got something to come back to. Understand?” Taehyun shoved the Alpha against the wall harder, his face dangerously calm.

            Hanbin looked down at the ground past Taehyun’s shoulder. It was an unspoken rule between the three of them that they never said Jinhwan’s name, and just the thought, just the half-second that it took to utter the name made his heart twist and his eyes to burn with the now-familiar sting of tears.

            “Don’t start crying,” Taehyun growled, his voice heavy with scorn. “Now, do you, or don’t you understand me?”

            Hanbin shuddered.

            “I-I understand.”

            “Good.”

            With a final shoved, Taehyun released the Alpha and stepped back, Mino’s hand finding his wrist and pulling him backwards into his embrace. Shrugging irritably as always, Taehyun attempted to dislodge his clingy handler, giving up after a few moments and relaxing back into the mold of Mino’s strong, broad chest.

            Without complaint, Hanbin opened the bag of food, took out a sandwich and took a bite. Slowly, he finished the food, drank a bottle of water and then, as Mino and Taehyun watched him closely, his eyes began to droop shut. The other handler smiled and caught Hanbin as his eyes closed and he fell asleep, exhaustion finally claiming him. Carrying the younger Alpha to bed, he was followed by Taehyun, who wrapped his arms around his waist, leaning his chin on Mino’s shoulder and watching Hanbin settle into a more restful sleep for a few minutes. Mino detangled himself from his fighter, taking the other’s hand and leading him to the living room.

            “He’s going to heal,” Taehyun said, pulling his legs up and leaning his head against the elder’s chest. Mino hummed, his deep voice rumbling in his chest comfortingly.

            “It’s going to take some time, Mino, but he’s going to heal. What if Jinhwan never comes back?” Taehyun’s voice dropped to a whisper.

            Mino didn’t reply right away, stroking his fingers through Taehyun’s hair, breathing in the smell of his fighter. For a brief moment, the thought of not being able to have the younger man in his arms every night, being robbed of Taehyun’s slender, clever hands and sweet, passionate kisses rendered the Alpha momentarily speechless.

            “Jinhwan will come back, Taehyun,” Mino said quietly. “He’s going to come back, Taehyun, and we’re going to find him. We’re going to do whatever it takes.”

            Taehyun sighed, making a decision deep within his heart that he felt the weight of press heavy on his mind, harder, harder and harder until he clung to Mino, wanting to get as close as he could to his Alpha because he wasn’t sure how much more time he’d have in the arms of the one man who he’d given himself entirely to.

            He echoed Mino quietly, his voice quiet and sad, a low sigh against the humming of the air conditioner.

 

            “Whatever… it takes…”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeet


	7. Only For A Moment

_ Chapter Seven: Only For a Moment _

 

 

              

 

               _Hanbin…_

 

 

10929’s mind was clouded and the name that seared through his consciousness surprised him dully. He’d not thought about that name in a very long time and sluggishly, he wondered why he thought of it now and whose name it was. A government nurse entered the room he was in, knocking softly as she entered.

 

              “Come on, 10929,” she said, her voice light with false sweetness. “It’s time to go to breakfast.” 10929 responded slowly, crawling out of bed and standing by her as she dressed him, first changing his pants and then his shirt. _Hanbin would have talked to me_ , he thought, and his forehead wrinkled. Why was he thinking of that name? Who was this Hanbin, anyway?

 

              “How are you doing today?” The nurse asked, taking 10929’s elbow and leading him from the room. He didn’t respond, his head tilted to the side and his eyebrows furrowed.

 

              “10929?” He blinked and turned his eyes to her.

 

“I asked you a question: how are you doing today?”

 

10929 shrugged, trying to offer a tiny smile, but failing halfway through the expression. The nurse didn’t think anything was awry, however. Patient number 10929 was very quiet and shy, never talking to anybody except for his personal tutor. She led him to the cafeteria, the mutter and buzz of dining people conversing with each other and with nurses surrounding him until he felt as though his head would burst. Trembling as he walked, he made it to an empty spot on one of the long benches, staring blankly at the food that was placed in front of him.

 

“Eat up!” The cheerful serving boy said, grinning as he set the plate before 10929. Turning to the server, 10929 saw the faintest outline of a brown thorn-vine on the other’s neck and he knew that the other was an ex-fighter. Deciding to respond too late, 10929 watched as the boy bounced away, undeterred by 10929’s silence.

 

 _Hanbin would have cooked better than this_ , 10929 thought. Closing his eyes and rubbing the heels of his hands into them, he sighed, shuddering. Where were these thoughts coming from? Who is _Hanbin_?

 

Finally, the pressure of thought, the pressure of thinking, thinking for himself for the first time in many, many months, coiled and snapped and he stood, shoving back the bench slightly with the backs of his thighs, clambering over it and walking towards the exit.

 

“10929? 10929? 10929!” A nurse called after him, walking briskly to him. Her hand fell on his arm and he flinched, his eyes growing wide and panicked. Tearing away, he took off running, his legs weak and shaky from months of being used just to walk. Unfamiliar with the hallways, he rounded corners, nearly collided with more people than he could count, raising a cry behind him as people took chase. His breath rasped in his throat and he panted hard, arms pumping and legs moving rapidly.

 

Hanbin.

 

               _Hanbin._

 

_Hanbin._

 

_A face, bright and happy, the eyes full of light approached him and 10929 struck, tearing a gash in the proffered hand. The person moved back and 10929 got a breath of his scent, filling his lungs with the scent of kindness and warmth, things he was not used to. He decided not to strike as the man came back up to him._

 

10929 tore up a flight of steps, pausing for a moment to cough, glancing over his shoulder as people came hurtling down the hallway towards him. He took off running again.

 

_Heat surrounded him, rising from his bones and he was scared. What was happening to him? The man came up to him, wrapped arms around him and 10929 pressed his body close, although he didn’t know why. The man did something, 10929 felt a sensation of being filled so wonderfully and then pleasure was coursing through his body like nothing he’d ever felt before._

 

Colliding with a guard, he whirled away, sensing that that guard was now joining the chase.

 

_He spoke for the first time and smelled the wonderful, sweet happiness that came from his Alpha._

 

10929 came to a door at the top of a long staircase, the metal bolted shut.

 

 _Hanbin loved him_.

 

Slamming his body into the door over and over, 10929 finally got it open, bursting into the cold air.

 

 _He loved Hanbin_.

 

Staggering to the railing, 10929 leaned over it, coughing and gasping uncontrollably.

 

He loved Hanbin and Hanbin loved him. But, who was this Hanbin?

 

The flood of doctors, nurses and guards pressed onto the roof behind him.

 

 _Kind hands, a soft voice, a joyful laugh_.

 

“10929, are you listening to me?” A buzz in the background. 10929 slid to the ground, back to the railing, holding his head in his hands.

 

_Why am I thinking about this? Who is Hanbin?_

 

Footsteps crunched in the thin layer of snow, coming to a stop some fifteen feet away.

 

              “Hand me that sedative. We need to knock him out. 10929, can you hear me?” 10929 started shaking his head, a pressure building up behind his eyes.

 

               _Waist-deep water surrounded him and his Alpha and the scent of the other was all around him. 10929 looked up, his Alpha backlit by the moon, the taste of his Alpha still on his lips._

 

              A hand fell on his shoulder and 10929 leaped up, looking at everything at once without quite seeing anything at all. He tried to put as much distance between himself and the doctor as possible, but a guard was behind him and they were now holding fast to 10929’s waist, keeping him from moving too far.

 

               _A still night and a sense of danger. He woke up, knowing something was wrong. A flash of light, agony blossomed across his stomach. He was dragged backwards away from the smell of his Alpha._

 

              “Hold him still now; we need to give him his medicine,” the doctor said, his voice low and soothing as though he was approaching a wounded animal.

 

               _A tiny pill everyday. Lessons on how to speak, how to walk, how to write, how to survive on his own shoved over and over and over and over into his brain._

 

              He struggled, his breathing harsh and his body straining with effort. The guard nearly lost his grip, but 10929 didn’t notice, didn’t care.

 

               _More pills and more lessons and 10929 wasn’t sure how much more of it he could take._

 

              “Let’s just calm down now, okay? Just relax and breathe and everything will be alright. It’s alright, 10929.”

 

               _Stop calling me that. My name is…_

 

              “Jinhwan.”

 

              The doctor halted and the murmur between the nurses on the roof was muted. Every eye turned slowly to 10929.

 

              “What’d you say? 10929?” The doctor asked, his face confused.

 

              10929 struggled with his words for a second, his mind finally clear and free of drugs for the first time in who-knew how long.

 

              “My name… is Jinhwan.”

 

 

              The guards placed him gently on his bed, handling the limp limbs with care. Immediately following his utterance of his name, the doctor had approached Jinhwan and injected him with a strong sedative, sending the ex-fighter into a pit of bitter-tinged blackness. Jinhwan’s eyes were at half-mast and he blinked slowly, trying to process his surroundings.

 

               _My name is Jinhwan, I love Hanbin and he loves me_. That single thought spun itself around and around in his head, and he clung to it, not wanting to lose what he considered to be a very important part of who he was.

 

 

 

              “Do you think you’re being funny, boy?” A man in a dark grey suit stood by the window, smoking a cigarette, his tone entirely too disinterested for the moment. Jinhwan’s forehead wrinkled and he tilted his head to the side.

 

              “You have no name, kid. You’re a number. Don’t go trying to make yourself seem special, because here? You’re nothing. Do you understand that?”

 

              Jinhwan sat back in his chair, eyes cast down to the ground. Something, something large and ugly was bubbling up inside of him and he fought it down, swallowing bitterness. He knew better than to speak out against the authorities, and the new, faint scars that riddled his back, chest and arms were testament to his resentment of the way that he was suppressed.

 

              “Do you understand me?!” The man snapped, turning around and stubbing out his cigarette in the ceramic ashtray on the desk. He slammed around the desk, coming to a stop in front of Jinhwan, hands on either arm of the chair, leaning over the ex-fighter with burning eyes. The younger man shrank back, keeping his eyes down. His act was mere mock subservience, however. The more that he complied, the sooner that he would be free of the institution that he was so miserably trapped inside.

 

              The man in the suit sighed and pushed back, deciding that he wasn’t going to get any words out of the ex-fighter.

 

              “Do you know why you’re here?” He asked after about five minutes of silence. He turned just in time to see Jinhwan nod slightly.

 

              “Alright, well, I’ll tell you again anyway. 10929, you’re he-“  Jinhwan stood up, interrupting the man. “Yes?” The official, for that was what he was, crooked an eyebrow.

 

              “I’m not 10929. My name is Jinhwan. I don’t belong to you, I belong to an Alpha named-“ Jinhwan choked on his words. It was nearly physically painful to say the Alpha’s name. Taking a deep breath, he continued.

 

              “I’m tired of you giving me drugs and making me forget. I’m sick and tired of having people pretend to be nice when I can smell and see that they’re repulsed just by touching me and being in the same room as me. I’m sick of not exercising and eating too little. I’m sick of these lessons and of the rooms and endless hallways, and I just want to be out of here. What more can you teach me?” Jinhwan’s voice rose, losing its typical air of sweetness. A strangely satisfied look came over the man’s face and he leaned back against the desk, crossing his arms over his chest.

 

              “Nothing. We can’t teach you anything, 10929. You’ve exceeded what we can teach you and it’s time to let you go now,” he said, a pleasant smile breaking through the cold façade that he’d worn previously.

 

              Jinhwan tilted his head to the side, confused.

 

              “You’re free to go, 10929. Now, what name were you calling yourself?”

 

 

 

              “Next!” The line of people moved forward one space and a thrill went through Jinhwan’s stomach. In one hand, he held an identification card and in the other, a resume that the rehabilitation facility had printed up for him. For the first time in three years, he was outside of the center, and not only was he outside, he was alone and trusted. He had a place that the government had given him, a tiny apartment with sparse furnishing and a bank account with plenty of money to last him for several months. He’d lay alone at night, balling up the duvet and holding it close to his body, pretending that he was holding someone tightly and imagining that he was smelling somebody that he’d not been around in a very, very long time. More than ever, as he waited, next in line, he wished that that same somebody was there to be with him, wrapping his arms around Jinhwan and telling him that everything would be just fine, that the employment line that Jinhwan was in would find a job for him and that his life would continue on as normal.

 

              “Next!”

 

              

 

              A few months later, Jinhwan walked out of his office, locking the door behind him and beginning the long walk home. His mind wandered, and before he knew it, he was headed up a long, paved driveway to a darkened mansion at its head. His hands and knees shook and he had to pause, leaning against the solid support of a light post to steady himself. However, those same nerves drove him onward until he stood before the door, raising his hand to knock.

 

              He knocked.

 

              The sound echoed hollowly throughout the house, and no lights turned on. He waited patiently for a moment. Fingers fumbling in the mouth of a stone dog, he found a key and turned it in the lock, holding his breath expectantly.

 

              There was nobody in the house.

 

              Inhaling deeply, he breathed in the smell of stale air and barely caught a whiff of a scent that he craved. Walking through the first floor of the mansion, he came across layers and layers of dust. Nobody was around, and it looked as though the house had been deserted for many, many years. He tripped over a rug where the corner had been flipped over itself, and his feet carried him instinctively to a bedroom where glass was shattered all over the floor, dried, brown stains of what appeared to be blood on the floor and some on the wall, a tiny hole in the wall at around head height.

 

              Falling to his knees slowly, he felt tears burn down his face and he began to sob, holding his head in his hands. The smell that he was craving was so faint that he was entirely sure that he was imagining it. _Hanbin… Hanbin, where are you_?

 

 

 

              The Alpha in question was on the other side of the world, having been dragged with Taehyun and Mino on a vacation to help clear his head. The fighter had suggested getting the other Dominant away from Seoul on the grounds that Hanbin was still having a hard time dealing with the loss of the fighter.

 

              They were walking along a boardwalk, the ocean on their right and the sun in their eyes as it set in the distance. Hanbin was walking along, hands in his pockets and his eyes not focusing on much at all. Taehyun and Mino walked along behind him, their hands joined and swinging between them. A scarf was wrapped warmly around Taehyun’s neck, hiding his brown-ink thorn tattoo and warding off the chill that hung in the autumn air and nobody even so much as suspected that the arrogant-faced, tall, pretty man that strolled down the boardwalk was anything but a standard Alpha.

 

              The silence that hung over the three was comfortable and pleasant, nobody saying anything, but everyone content to know that the others were content as well. Hanbin broke the silence after walking about a mile and a half, his voice low and nearly impossible for Taehyun to pick up.

 

              “Jinhwan loved the beach,” he began, a smell of sweet nostalgia coming off of him. Taehyun glanced over at Mino, raising an eyebrow. It been only recently that Hanbin had been able to speak of Jinhwan without falling to pieces, and that he could now talk about the fighter and not smell bitter spoke volumes as to how much he’d healed in the past three and a half years since Jinhwan had been stolen from him in the middle of the night.

 

              “We-we only went one time, but he loved it. He was so happy and I kissed him for the first time at a beach. I miss him,” Hanbin sighed, and though he smelled of sadness, he also smelled still of sweet nostalgia and Taehyun allowed himself to relax.

 

 

Hanbin would be just fine.  

 

 

              

 

              

 

 

“Hanbin. Don’t panic,” were Taehyun’s first words once the Alpha picked up his phone. He’d moved to a large flat in the middle of town immediately after Jinhwan’s capture, knowing that he couldn’t stand to live in a house where memories of his fighter would haunt him at every turn. The phone rarely ever rang, since only Taehyun and Mino knew the number, and they only ever called if new news had come up regarding Jinhwan.

 

              “Hanbin, we found him. Mino found Jinhwan, Hanbin, and he’s in the city. Don’t freak out, and just get over here as soon as you can, okay?” Taehyun’s final words met a buzz of a dropped phone call and Hanbin was already throwing a jacket over his shoulders, shoving shoes onto his feet, grabbing his keys and heading out of the door.

 

              Bursting into Mino and Taehyun’s house around an hour later, Hanbin was flushed, out of breath and staggered into the living area, three pairs of eyes looking up in shock.

 

              Mino, Taehyun and a stranger were sitting on the couch, and the Dominant stood, walking over to Hanbin and laying a gentle hand on his arm, leading the younger Alpha to the chair across from the couch. The stranger was a huge man and something was very familiar about him, though it took a minute for Hanbin to remember where he’d seen him before.

 

              “ _You_!” He jumped to his feet, pointing at the strange Alpha. “You’re the handler who had the fighter who lost to my fighter and was put to sleep!”

 

              The stranger nodded, a great sadness passing over his face.

 

              “Mino, why is he here?” Hanbin asked, turning to his friend. Taehyun walked over to Hanbin, shoving him back down to sit in the chair, scoffing at the disgruntled expression on the Alpha’s face. The stranger rose to his feet, his large, bulky, intimidating frame towering over Hanbin.

 

              “I found that Sub,” the stranger murmured. His voice was deep gravel, grating against Hanbin’s consciousness. Hanbin started breathing heavily, only to stop the next moment.

 

              “I saw him, too, Hanbin.” Mino’s voice was curt. “He’s doing fine.”

 

              Hanbin’s throat felt as though it was going to close.

 

              “Where is he? Can you take me to him? How is he? Does he look any different? Are you sure it was Jinhwan?” Questions rolled off of his tongue quicker than he’d ever spoken before, and the stranger’s face darkened slightly, but not in anger.

 

              “I am entirely sure that it was your fighter. He smells the same as my Jinwoo did, which is how I first noticed him. I caught his smell, got confused and so I followed it. I followed him straight to where he is now, and I remembered Mino telling me something about how your fighter was taken. I remember how close you two seemed, and he wanted to see for himself if this was the same kid that you’d lost. So, I called him and he came to where I was. He confirmed it, son. That’s your fighter, and he’s alright.”

 

              Mino thanked the stranger and turned to Hanbin, an expectant look on his face.

 

              “I don’t think that it’s a good idea for you to go and see him, Hanbin,” Mino said slowly. “He’s different now, and I don’t know if you need to go and see him… He’s just not… _Jinhwan_ , anymore…”

 

              Hanbin was confused. What did Mino mean when he said that Jinhwan wasn’t Jinhwan? His fighter was his fighter and would always be Jinhwan, no matter what.

 

              “Mino… Why…?” Hanbin’s voice broke.

 

              Taehyun, who usually had a sharp comment when Hanbin began to break down, instead, walked over to the Dominant and rested a hand on his back.

 

              “He’s not your fighter anymore, Hanbin-ah,” he said softly. “That kid we saw? H-He's not the same. Remember when Mino and I told you about what happens to fighters when they're repossessed by the government? They've changed him into an Alpha. He's not a Sub anymore... And he no longer belongs to you."

 

 

   Hanbin's head spun and the ground rushed up to meet him.  

 

   "We need to keep them away from each  other," Mino said, hoisting an unconcious Hanbin into his arms. Taehyun shook his head.

 

   "That's not fair to either of them, Mino... Remember what happened to us."

 

   Mino deposited Hanbin onto the couch and turned to stare at his fighter slowly.

 

 

   "I remember."

 

 

   "Give them the same chance."

 

  
  
  


 

********************************

 

 

Hello! So, this update is a little shorter than the others have been, and I'm sorry.. It was an emotional overload to write and was draining..  Ugh....

 

 

Also, AFF is not cooperating with either me or my software, so to me, the font looks unnecessarily large. If that's how it looks for you, too, I apologize and I'll fix it tomorrow when I get the chance.

 

 

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, and please, comment, subscribe and up vote!

 

 

Comments are love!!

 

 

~~Mak~~

 

**Author's Note:**

> this is a story that i orginally had on AFF, but im trying to move over to this platform
> 
> spoiler alert: this is getting finished soon
> 
> if you're new to this story, please enjoy, and if not, i hope you enjoy rereading it
> 
> as always, 
> 
> Comments are love!
> 
> ~Mak~


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